Tuftco Corporation

Card-Monroe Corp.

Detty, Jason

Beatty, Paul

Paul E Beatty

Michael R Morgante

Steven L Frost

Jason Daniel Detty

Marshall Allen Neely

Mike Bishop

Brian K Lovelady

Robert A Padgett

Jeffrey D Smith

Jeff D Smith

A yarn feed module may be provided with four small diameter yarn feed rolls and a plasma treated yarn feed surface to optimize secure yarn grip for precise feeding by servo drive with greater durability and fewer yarn entanglements, utilizing a variety of threading configurations.

Four roll servo driven yarn feed module for precision yarn feed

A shiftable backing feed and shiftable needle assembly is utilized with a tufting machine having reciprocating needles and gauge parts for seizing or cutting yarns wherein marginal step yarn placement techniques can be utilized in connection with a row of needles to minimize over-sewing needle positioning, and three axis shifting may be employed to optimize stitch locations in the backing fabric.

Advanced stitch placement with backing shifting

Backing fabric shifting relative to needles and gauge parts for seizing yarns is utilized in a tufting machine having needle plate fingers or backing support that reciprocates in synchronization with the cycles of the needles to support the backing during penetration of the backing fabric while allowing backing shifts between stitches.

Optimized backing shifter for variable or multi-gauge tufting

A shiftable backing feed is utilized with a tufting machine having reciprocating needles and gauge parts for seizing yarns at a plurality of fixed heights, wherein fabric support apparatus reciprocates in synchronization with the cycles of the needle bar to support the backing during penetration of the backing fabric yet allow backing shifts between stitches.

Multi height looper and backing shifter

A lightweight needlebar drive is provided that vertically reciprocates a needlebar by driven feet mounted to the lower ends of pushrods, where the feet are laterally positionable by virtue of a plurality of stub shafts passing through and received in bearings on adjacent brackets connected to the needlebar.

Lightweight quad mount tufting machine shiftable needle bar assembly

A shiftable backing feed or shiftable needle assembly is utilized with a tufting machine having reciprocating needles and gauge parts for seizing or cutting yarns wherein yarn placement patterns can be utilized to tuft at different gauge densities while maintaining the same pattern sizes and appearance.

Variable or multi-gauge tufting with color placement and pattern scaling

A shiftable backing feed is utilized with a tufting machine having reciprocating needles and gauge parts for seizing yarns wherein needle plate fingers reciprocate in synchronization with the cycles of the needle bar to support the backing during penetration of the backing fabric yet allow backing shifts between stitches.

Backing shifter for variable or multi-gauge tufting

A novel method of tufting carpets is provided to allow the use of four or more colors of yarn at sufficient stitch density to provide for a solid appearance of any of the selected colors at any location on the carpet, and utilizing natural tacking of rear yarns to minimize loose yarn on the backing.

Method for selective display of yarn in a tufted fabric with double end yarn drives

A novel method of tufting carpets is provided to allow the use of the same sequence of colored yarns on front and rear staggered needle bars to yield sufficient gauge stitch density to provide for a solid appearance of any of the selected colors et, and utilizing optimized tacking of rear yarns to minimize loose yarn on the backing.

Method for selective display of yarn in a tufted fabric with offset rows of needles

A crank adjusted shifting mechanism having a servo driven eccentric in communication with a drive rod and optional clamping assembly provides for a fast and programmable needle bar shifting mechanism for a tufting machine.

Servo driven crank adjusted shifting mechanism

An antivibratory system is provided by means of a servo motor driven shaker affixed to the head or bed frame of a tufting machine and programmed for rotation of a balancing weight to minimize vibration caused by operation of tufting machine at a particular speeds and needle stroke lengths.

Tufting machine head shaker

A tufting machine belt driven gauging element drive assembly (5) for use with a tufting machine (7) is disclosed. The drive assembly includes a spindle assembly (24) rotatably supported on the tufting machine with respect to at least one elongate gauging element drive shaft (31, 34). The spindle assembly is rotated in timed relationship with the rotation of a tufting machine drive shaft (16) by a drive sprocket (20) mounted on the tufting machine drive shaft, a flexible timing belt (21) encircling the drive sprocket and a driven sprocket (23) formed as a part of the spindle assembly. The spindle assembly has at least one adjustable cam assembly (52a, 52b) affixed thereto and having a stub shaft (54a, 54b) formed as a part thereof which is parallel to and offset from the longitudinal axis of the spindle shaft, and which orbits the axis of the spindle shaft as the spindle shaft is rotated. An elongate drive pinion (58a, 58b) is pivotally fastened at one end to the stub shaft, the other end of the drive pinion being pivotally fastened to the first end of an elongate drive lever (66a, 66b) for transmitting the reciprocating motion of the drive pinion as a rocking motion to the drive lever for rocking the at least one gauging element drive shaft in timed relationship with the rotation of the tufting machine drive shaft. The at least one cam assembly is positioned adjacent a timing disc (47a, 47b) on which a timing reference mark (50a, 50b) is defined, and has a series of timing indicia (55a, 55b) defined thereon in registry with the timing reference mark so that the at least one cam assembly may be rotated about the spindle shaft to adjust the stroke of the drive pinion which adjusts the rotational position of the at least one gauging element drive shaft with respect to rotational position of the tufting machine drive shaft in response thereto.

Tufting machine belt driven drive assembly

A tufting machine belt driven drive assembly (5) for use with a tufting machine (7) is disclosed. The drive assembly includes a spindle assembly (24) rotatably supported on the tufting machine with respect to a looper drive shaft (31) and a spaced and parallel knife drive shaft (34). The spindle assembly is rotated in timed relationship with the rotation of tufting machine drive shaft (16) by a drive sprocket (20) mounted on the tufting machine drive shaft, a flexible timing belt (21) encircling the drive sprocket and a driven sprocket (23) formed as a part of the spindle assembly. The spindle assembly has a pair of cam assemblies (52a, 52b) affixed to the spaced ends (41, 42) of the spindle shaft, each cam assembly having an offset stub shaft (54a, 54b) with respect to the longitudinal axis of the spindle shaft for orbiting the spindle shaft. An elongate drive pinion (58a, 58b) is pivotally fastened at one end to each respective stub shaft, the other end of each drive pinion being pivotally fastened to the first end of an elongate drive lever (66a, 66b) for transmitting the reciprocating motion of the drive pinion as a rocking motion to the drive lever for rocking the looper drive shaft and the knife drive shaft, respectively, in timed relationship with the rotation of tufting machine drive shaft 16. Each cam assembly is positioned adjacent a timing disc (47a, 47b) having a timing reference mark (50a, 50b) defined thereon. Each one of the cam assemblies has a series of timing indicia (55a, 55b) defined thereon and in registry with each respective timing reference mark.

A drive assembly for reciprocating connecting links includes a single, main drive shaft and alternating, counterrotating and direct individual drive assemblies. The drive assembly is particularly adapted for use in devices such as carpet tufting machines which require high speed reciprocation of connecting links and push rods. The drive assembly is designed to counterbalance undesirable multidirectional reciprocating forces generated by the drive assembly itself and other machine elements. The drive assembly, therefore, operates at high speeds while reducing overall machine vibration.

Growing community of inventors

Chattanooga, TN, United States of America

Paul E Beatty