US3430590A - Pneumatically fed tufted textile machine - Google Patents

Description

March 4, 1969 G. LOOPER 3,

PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Filed Nov. 7, 1966 Sheet of 7 INVEN TOR.

GLENN LOOPER BY m M r- ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 G. LOOPER 3,430,590

. PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Filed Nov. 7, 1966 Sheet 2 o0OO (Q:QQ

(0 g m 9 l l N 5 m 0 8 Y O I LL INVENTOR. a 'GLENN LOOPER BY ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 G. LOOPVER 3,430,590

PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Filed Nov. 7; 1966 Sheet 3 of v F |ca 4 INVENTOR.

GLENN LOOPER BY ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 G. LOOPER PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Sheet 4 of? Filed Nov. l966 INVEN'fOR. GLENN LOOPER M Ma ' ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 G. LOOPER PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Sheet Filed Nov. 7, 1966 w wl INVENTOR. GLENN LOOPER ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 e. LOOPER PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Sheet Filed NOV- 7, 1966 lliiliUlI il FIG.. 12

INVENTOR. GLENN LOOPER m may ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 LOOPER 3,430,590

PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Filed Nov. 7, 1966 Sheet 7 of v k 2I8 H 21s 214 224 0 tr W/ F lG 16 b 204 INVENTOR. GLENN LOOPER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,430,590 PNEUMATICALLY FED TUFTED TEXTILE MACHINE Glenn Looper, Box 86, Dalton, Ga. 30720 Filed Nov. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 592,555 US. Cl. 112-80 Int. Cl. D050 15/08 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rug mending machine is provided with a compressed air arrangement to hold the yarn taut in the needle, and

This invention relates to pneumatically fed pile-depositing machines for the tufted textile industry, and more particularly to a pile-depositing machine with a continuous pneumatic yarn feed which is capable of accurately depositing pile loops of predetermined lengths in dense backings with a minimum of complexity.

The embodiments of the invention described hereinare improvements over the machine described in my copending application Ser. No. 461,948, filed June 7, 1965, now Patent No. 3,372,661, and entitled, Portable Pile- Depositing Machine. As described in the aforesaid copending application, machines of this type are useful, among other things, in mending tufted textile rugs during the manufacturing process where the automatic loom, for one reason or another, fails to deposit the required yarn in one of the many pile rows of the rug. In machines of this type, there is always the problem of depositing loops (which may be of varying length, depending on the rugs pattern) with sufiicient accuracy so that the loop lengths of the mended row will exactly match the lop length of the rows adjacent to it.

The present invention provides a simple yet very effective solution of this problem by making it practical to control the loop length solely and effectively by a positive yarn-feed mechanism without dependency on the motion of the needle itself.

Proposals involving the use of compressed air for blowing the yarn through the hollow needle of this type machine, with an air flow drawing the yarn against the restraint of a fixed-speed yarn-feed mechanism, have previously been made. However, it was necessary in the embodiments of the prior art to stop the air flow through the needle at that portion of the needles cycle when it was withdrawn from the backing, because the air flow against the backing at that point created back pressure and turbulence which resulted in tangling of the yarn and inaccurate loop length.

The present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a yarn feed through the needle which is less affected by this turbulence and back pressure, and is therefore capable of depositing an accurate loop even without stopping the air flow at any portion of the needles cycle. The device of this invention accomplishes this result by feeding the yarn at such an angle to the air flow and in such an air passage configuration that back flow of the yarn with its resultant tangling and inaccuracy is avoided.

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In one embodiment of the invention, the yarn is in addition twisted so as to facilitate its passage through the needle, and the smooth continuity of the yarn flow is enhanced by eliminating standing wave pressure pattern in the air stream.

It is an object of this invention to provide a portable pile-depositing machine which deposits pile loops with great accuracy.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pile-depositing machine which facilitates passage of the yarn through the needle and fabric backing by imparting a controllable twist to the yarn during its passage through the needle.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a pile-depositing machine which is adaptable to varied physical installation layouts and which can be accurately guided even in complex patterns.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of the invention showing a continuously variable yarn-feed mechanism in the low-pile position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, with the yarn-feed mechanism and housing cover removed, of the device of FIG. 1, showing the needle in its rearmost position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing additional parts in section and shownig the needle in its frontmost position.

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a detail section along line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the continuously variable yarn feed of FIG. 1 in the high-pile position.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of an alternative embodiment of the machine having an adjustable cable fitting and handle, a nose-guiding device, and a three-level yarn-feed device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 7 showing the three-level yarn feed in the high-pile position.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the yarn feed of FIG. 8 in the medium-pile position.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 but showing the yarn feed in the low-pile position.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of yarn feed which automatically varies the loop length in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation, partly in section, of still another embodiment of the device.

FIG. 14 is a section along line 14-14 of FIG. 13 showing a first type of vortex-creating device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the nose of the device of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section showing a second embodiment of vortex-creating device, and

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section along line 17-17 o FIG. 16.

Basically, the devices embodying the inventive concept achieve their accuracy and effectiveness by the combination of a positive, accurately adjustable yarn feed and an internal yarn path and air path configuration which permits the yarn to be positively fed through the needle at a steady rate under tension at all times without interruption.

In addition, various embodiments of the machine as shown are designed to permit adjustment to shift their handle with respect to their center of gravity, their angle to their mechanical power supply cable and the exact position of the nose with respect to the work, as well as the register of the nose with the needle and at the inwardmost point of its stroke.

FIGS. 1-6 show a first embodiment of a machine constructed in accordance with this invention. Basically, the machine has a main handle 22 by which the operator holds it, a cable fitting 24 through which a cable 26 transmits rotary motion to the drive pinion 28 from an appropriate power source (not shown), a reciprocating drive mechanism 30, a needle-carrier mechanism 32 and a compressed air supply 34. In addition, a yarn-feed mechanism generally designated as 36 is provided. The function of the yarn-feed 36 is to permit a predetermined amount of yarn per cycle of needle reciprocation to enter the needle. The continuous air stream, whose velocity is substantially greater than the maximum yarn-feed speed of the machine, continuously holds the yarn under tension in the needle and thus assures consistent formation of pile loops of accurately controlled length.

As will be hereinafter explained, the yarn-feed mechanism 36 may be of several types. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 the yarn feed shown is of the continuously adjustable high-low type which can be alternataively reciprocated between two continuously adjustable positions by supplying electric impulses from an external control source (such as a control operators work station, not shown) to the plug 38. The main handle 22 is provided with a switch 40 connected by a cable 39 to the rotary motion source (not shown) which drives the cable 26, to turn the same on and off, and to also simultaneously turn the air supply to the machine 20 on and off if desired.

Turning now to the more specific construction of the machine of FIGS. 1-6, it will be seen that the yarn 42 enters the machine from a convenient yarn supply cone (not shown) through the guide tube 44. The guide tube 44 is mounted on a guide tube bracket 46 mounted to the reciprocal shaft 48 of the yarn-feed device 36. Also mounted on the shaft 48 is a wheel support bracket 50 in which is journaled a drive wheel 52 whose rim may be of rubber or other antislip material. On the drive wheel shaft 54, there is also a feed wheel 56 equipped with a knurled groove in which the knurled idler Wheel 58 rolls. The idler wheel 58 is biased against the surface of the feed wheel 56 by the spring 60 which biases the arm 62 on which the idler wheel shaft 64 is mounted. The idler wheel, it will be understood, is freely movable on its shaft 64 lengthwise thereof and is also free to rotate with respect to the shaft 64.

The yarn feed shaft 48 is mounted for up-and-down movement in FIG. 1 in through the cars 65, 67 of a supporting bracket 66 mounted to the housing cover plate 68 of the machine 20. Normally, the spring 70, acting between ear 67 and collar 72, biases shaft 48 into its uppermost position as determined by the setting of collar 74. When electrical energy, however, is applied to the plug 38, solenoid 76 attracts its armature 78 whose arm 80 is fixed to shaft 48. Arm 80 therefore pulls shaft 48 downwardly against the bias of spring 70 until the collar 82 engages the ear 65 of bracket 66.

Since the bracket 50 is fixed to the shaft 48, the bracket 50, and with it wheel 52, will reciprocate between an upper and lower position determined, respectively, by the setting of collars 72 and 82 on the shaft 48, depending on the supply of electrical energy to the plug 38. Under the bias of spring 60, transmitted through the idler wheel 58 and the feed wheel 56, drive wheel 52 is biased into contact with the surface of drive disc 86. As will be best apparent from FIG. 4, drive disk 86 is driven by shaft 4 88. Shaft 88 is rotated by fork 89, whose slot 91 engages drive pin 93 which is threaded into opening 98 of needle disk 92, and which also supports the right end 96 of bell crank 94. Thus, the motion of main pinion 28 and main gear is transmitted to shaft 88 without interfering with the bell crank 94.

Since the speed of rotation of drive disc 86 is constant, it will be readily seen that the speed of rotation of the feed wheel 56 and idler wheel 58 depend on the vertical position (in FIG. 1) of drive wheel 52. Thus, since the yarn 42 is fed between the engaged knurled surfaces of idler wheel 58 and feed Wheel 56, it will be seen that application of electrical power to the plug 38 and removal thereof, respectively, will shift the yarn-feed mechanism 36 between a fast-feed condition and a slowfeed condition, each of which can be accurately adjusted by moving the collars 74 and 82, respectively on shaft 48.

The needle mechanism of the machine 20 operates as follows: The rotary power transmitted from the main pinion 28 to main gear 90 is transmitted to the needle disc 92 through shaft 88 on which both the main gear 90 and the needle disc 92 are mounted. A bell crank 94 has its right-hand end 96 mounted to one of the holes 98 in needle disc 92. This displacement of the left end 100 of bell crank 94, and hence the amplitude of the needle 102, may be readily adjusted by an appropriate choice of the threaded opening 98 into which the right end 96 of the bell crank 94 is rotatably fastened.

The left end 100 of the bell crank 94 is fastened to a sled 104 best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, which is reciprocally mounted in a track 106. The sled 104 carries a bracket 108 which is fixed to the needle block 110. The inner end of the needle 102 is fixedlysecured in the front end of needle block 110, as best shown in FIG. 3. The rear end of needle block 110 is aflixed to a tube 112 which can slide back and forth within a somewhat larger fixed tube 114 which is mounted to the air intake block 116.

Air from the air hose connection 34 enters the machine through conduit 118 and then travels leftward through sliding joints 114, 112, passage 120 of needle block 110, and the hollow interior 122 of needle 102 to the outside.

Due to the widening of air passage 120 at its junction with the yarn passage 124 in needle block 110, a venturi action is created at the junction of passages 120 and 124 which draws air into the end 126 of yarn guide 128. Due to the venturi action thus created, the prior art problem of a back pressure in the yarn guide tube 128 when the needle 122 is fully retracted is no longer any problem, because even the slight air flow at the tip of the needle when the needle is retracted, due to the slight permeability of the fabric backing through which the yarn loop is being inserted, is enough to maintain forward suction in the yarn guide tube 128. Consequently, it is not necessary in the device described to cut off the air flow at the moment of maximum retraction of the needle 102, and entanglement of the yarn due to back-flow problems is effectively avoided.

FIGS. 7-10 depict an alternative embodiment of the invention which is characterized by a different type of yarn feed and several other improvements, all of which are adapted to replace similar elements in the machine 20 of the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, it will be noted that the drive cable fitting 24 is mounted on a movable bracket 130 which, as best seen in FIG. 8, is concentrically journaled about the axis of shaft 131. The bracket 130 is retained in its axial position by a flange 132 whose outer surface is provided with a series of recesses 134. A plunger 136 is mounted in the bracket 130 and is spring-biased into engagement with one of the recesses 134. The plunger 136 can be pulled out of engagement with a recess 134 by turning the eccentric cam 138 in a counterclockwise direction by means of its handle 140. It is thus possible to vary the inclination of cable fitting 24 with respect to the body of the machine 20 in discrete incremental steps. Such a variation is of importance, depending on the installation in which the machine is to be used, as the dictates of a particular application may make it desirable to mount the rotary power source either directly overhead, slightly in front of the operator, or behind the operator. It will be seen that adjustment of the angle of cable fitting 24 has no effect on the operation of the machine, as it merely causes main pinion 28 to rotate along the main gear 90.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 also depicts a different type of yarn feed than previously described. In this instance, the yarn feed is settable to any one of three predetermined feed rates by merely bringing the idler wheel 142 into engagement with one of the three feed wheels 144, 146, 148, all of which are keyed to the shaft 150. It will be understood that the idler wheel 142 is both slidably and rotatably mounted on its own shaft 152.

The rotation of main drive shaft 88 is transmittetd to a pinion 154 which engages yarn-feed gear 156. The ratio of gears 154, 156 represents a speed reduction which may be on the order of two to one in order to make it possible to make the smallest of the feed wheels (148) of sufificient diameter to give it the required physical strength without exceeding a reasonable rate of feed. The gear 156 is keyed to shaft 150 and therefore drives the feed wheels 144, 146, 148 in unison. The idler wheel 142 is biased into engagement with the selected one of the feed wheels by spring 158 through the intermediary of arm 160. It will be noted that FIG. 8 shows the device in the fastest feeding condition, FIG. 9 shows it with an intermediate feed, and FIG. shows it with the slowest yarnfeed speed. The diameter of the feed wheel determines the amount of yarn pulled from the cone and that in turn determines the stitch length.

In some instances, the device of this invention may be used to deposit pile in intricate patterns instead of straight lines. In order to give the operator more precise control over the position of the nose 162 of the machine in those instances, the machine may be provided with a nose guide handle 164 which is attached to a 360-degree swivel joint 166 which allows a skilled operator to accurately move the nose 162 in any desired direction around complex patterns where such is desired. The function of the nose 162, incidentally, is to squeeze the deposited yarn against the fabric backing adjacent the needle to prevent the tension of the yarn during the formation of a loop from pulling out some yarn from the preceding loop.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, it will also be seen that the main handle 22 is attached to the body 168 of the machine 20 by screw means 170 which can be threaded into any one of the threaded openings 172, 174, 176. It will thus be seen that the main handle 22 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 can be moved forwardly and rearwardly of the machine 20. This permits the operator, particularly when the cable fitting 24 is being readjusted, to move the main handle 22 to such a position with respect to the center of gravity of the machine 20 as to result in the greatest maneuverability and comfort to the operator.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a still different type of yarn feed in which the feed speed is automatically reciprocated between two presettable positions in accordance with a preset pattern determined by the cam 178 keyed to the shaft 180. The shaft 180 is driven by a gear 182 which in turn is driven by a pinion 184 keyed directly to the feed mechanism drive shaft 88. The cam 178, as best shown in FIG. 11, pivots an arm 186 about the pivot 188 against the bias of spring 70. The left end (in FIG. 11) 190 of arm 186 thus acts in the same manner as the arm 80 of the solenoid 76 in FIG. 1, and it will be seen that the device of FIG. 11 thus accomplishes with an automatic repetition rate the change of pile height which can be accomplished at will by an operator in the device of FIG. 1. Inasmuch as arm 186 cannot be directly affixed to shaft 48, the connection between shaft 48 and arm 186 is effected by confining arm 186 between collars 192 and 6 194. The ratio of high-low stitches per cycle of cam 178 is determined, in this embodiment, by the shape of the cam 178, and the total number of stitches per cycle of cam 178 is determined by the ratio of gear 182 to pinion 184.

FIGS. 13-16 show still another embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of these figures, the main rotary motive power for the needle crank and yarn-feed mechanism is supplied directly on the machine 200 by an appropriate pneumatic motor 202 which may be supplied by an air line 204 from a suitable compressor (not shown). A valve 206 equipped with a hand grip 208 may be provided to turn the motor 202 on and off. A branch conduit 210 is provided to take air from the air line. The branch conduit 210 may be connected either to be controlled by the hand grip 208 and valve 206, or to be directly fed from air line 204, depending on the particular action desired.

The air stream in line 210 passes through a valve 212 which permits adjustment of the air flow transmitted to a resilient plastic tube 214. Adjustability of the air stream velocity has been found to be very desirable in the use of the new multi-filament nylon yarns which are light and fluffy in texture and are very susceptible to changes in twist and combing as a result of varying air-stream speeds for a given size of needle.

The tube 214 is connected to a fitting 216 which forms an integral part of the sled 218 of the machine 200. Thus, the air path from the air supply to the needle tip is always of the same length and volume due to the reciprocation of fitting 216 in unison with needle 102. This arrangement avoids the use of sliding joints such as 112, 114 and eliminates the problem of pulsating or standing-wave pressure patterns which is inherent in the periodic constriction and expansion of the air chamber formed by the sliding joints 112, 114 of the embodiment of FIG. 3. The arrangement of FIG. 13 also eliminates the annoying leakage of air inherent in the sliding joint construction.

In addition, as best shown in FIGS. 14-16, the device 200 lends itself to twisting the yarn to a desired degree as it passes through the needle 102. This has assumed some importance in connection with the use of the aforesaid multifiliment nylon yarn which, because of its fluffy character, is quite difficult to sew in certain backings, and also creates problems of passage through the needle.

In order to accomplish the twisting of the yarn 42, a vortex disc 220 is inserted in the passage 222 between the fitting 216 and the forward end 224 of the yarn passage 128. The vortex disc 220 has a series of small openings 226 near its rim through which the air must pass between fitting 216 and needle 102. The circular arrangement of these openings 226 creates a turbulence whose effect is analogous to the swirling of the water in a toilet bowl; i.e., it causes a whirling vortex which twists the yarn within the hollow interior of needle 102 against its own resiliency and thus temporarily reduces its effective diameter for ease of passage through the needle and (during the portion of the needle cycle when the needle is at least partially withdrawn from the backing) through the backing of the rug. Once the yarn emerges on the other side of the backing, its natural resiliency will cause it to untwist again and its natural fiufliness is then restored, with all its attendant esthetic advantages.

Instead of the vortex disc 220, it is possible to achieve the same vortex effect by causing the air stream from fitting 216 to impinge against a concave plowlike surface 228 disposed directly opposite the air entrance from fitting 216 in the air passage 230 (FIGS. 16 and 17).

In the embodiment 200, the nose 232 is shown in a somewhat different version than nose 162. The nose 232 is mounted on a sleeve 234 which can be axially adjusted with respect to the needle 102. Thus, the nose 232 can be moved in and out to compensate for slight variations in the length of the needle 102 each time the needle 102 is sharpened. Also, the kerf 236 at the top of nose 232 (FIG. 15) provides a visual guide by means of which the operator can follow a row of pile or a marker line even though the nose 232 itself obscures the precise point at which the needle 102 penetrates the backing.

As best seen in FIG. 15, the nose 232 can be made interchangeable and of varying width, and can thus be used as a line gauge for various stitching pile widths. If so used, the operator merely presses the right (in FIG. 15) edge of nose 232 against an adjacent stitch row; and if the nose used is so chosen that the distance d is equal to the spacing between stitch rows, the machine will produce a stitch row in exactly the correct position.

I claim:

1. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle;

means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof;

means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough;

a chamber communicating with said needle;

means for introducing air into said chamber generally perpendicularly to the axis of said needle;

means for introducing said air into said needle axially thereof, and introducing said yarn into said needle at an acute angle to said air stream; and

means in said chamber for imparting a twisting action to said air stream to twist said yarn as it passes through said needle and said backing, said twisting means including a deflecting surface so positioned as to deflect said air from a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of said needle into a direction axial thereof and to impart a spinning motion thereto.

2. A pneumatically lfed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle;

means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; and

means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough;

said yarn feed means including means continuously adjustable to include a predetermined range of feed speeds, means for selectively positioning said continuously adjustable means at either end of their range, and means for selectively varying the limits of said range.

3. The device of claim 2, further including means for automatically performing said selective positioning in accordance with a predetermined cyclic pattern.

4. The device of claim 3, in which said automatic positioning means include a positioning arm, cam means for reciprocating said arm, and gear means connecting said cam means to said needle reciprocating means, whereby the ratio of high to low stitches can be adjusted by varying the shape of said cam means, and the total number of stitches per cycle can be adjusted by varying the ratio of said gear means.

5. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle;

means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; and

means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough;

said yarn feed means including a plurality of guide wheels of predetermined diameters and idler wheel means selectively engageable with any one of said guide wheels for drawing yarn therebetween at a speed determined by the diameter of the guide wheel engaged by said idler wheel. 6. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle; means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough; and handle means on said machine for holding the same in the hand, said handle means being selectively positionable fore and aft of the center of gravity of said machine. 7. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle; means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; and means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough; said reciprocating means including a cable extending from a remote power source to said machine for providing rotary motion to said reciprocating means; and selectively adjustable means for varying the angle of incidence of said cable to said machine. 8. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle; means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough; nose means surrounding said needle and adapted to engage said backing to prevent withdrawal of yarn from a previously formed loop during formation of a loop; and handle means swivelable through 360 degrees around said needle means adjacent said nose to permit accurate directional control of the movement of said nose in the formation of intricate patterns. 9. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle; means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric; means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; means for continuously introducing air under pressure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn therethrough; and nose means surrounding said needle and adapted to engage said backing to prevent withdrawal of yarn from a previously formed loop during formation of a loop; said nose means having kerf means in vertical alignment with said needle to permit visual positioning of said device to follow a marking on said backing fabric. 10. A pneumatically fed tufted textile machine for depositing pile through a backing fabric, comprising:

a hollow needle; means for reciprocating said needle through said backing fabric;

9 10 means for feeding precisely measured amounts of yarn References Cited into said hollow needle on each stroke thereof; UNITED STATES PATENTS means for continuously introducing air under pres- 2,599,226 6/1952 Brien sure into said hollow needle to convey said yarn 2,884,881 5/1959 Oberholtzer' t e g 5 3,089,442 5/1963 Short 112-79 nose means surrounding said needle and adapted to 3,144,844 8/1964 Elliott et a1. l1280 engage said backing to prevent withdrawal of yarn 3,217,675 11/ 1965 Shortfrom a previously formed loop during formation of a 3,225,723 12/1965 Wilkes 112-80 loop; said nose means having vertical side walls at 10 33421153 9/1967 Short 112-79 a predetermined spacing from the axis of said needle FOREIGN PATENTS to permit visual guiding of said needle at a predeter- 618,165 2/ 1949 Great Britain.

mined distance from an adjacent row of stitches on Said backing f b i JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner.

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