Apparatus for tufting high and low cut pile

Claim 1

IN A TUFTING MACHINE, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A BASE FABRIC, A RECIPROCABLE NEEDLE CARRYING YARN TO PENETRATE THE BASE FABRIC AND FORM LOOPS THEREIN, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID NEEDLE, A HOOK COMPRISING A FIRST BILL AND A SECOND BILL RIGIDLY SPACED APART IN THE RECIPROCABLE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID NEEDLE, SAID BILLS HAVING FREE ENDS POINTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND CLOSED ENDS OPPOSITE SAID FREE ENDS, MEANS FOR RELATIVELY MOVING SAID FABRIC TO CARRY SAID LOOPS TOWARD THE CLOSED ENDS OF SAID BILLS, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID HOOK TO DIRECT THE FREE ENDS OF BOTH SAID BILLS THROUGH EACH LOOP FORMED BY SAID NEEDLE, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY RELATIVELY MOVING SAID HOOK AWAY FROM SAID NEEDLE IN THE DIRECTION OF FABRIC FEED, THE FREE END OF SAID FIRST BILL HAVING A SMOOTH, UNOBSTRUCTED SURFACE REMOTE FROM SAID SECOND BILL TO PERMIT A LOOP TO BE PULLED THEREOVER, MEANS FOR FEEDING YARN TO SAID NEEDLE AT A NORMAL PREDETERMINED SPEED TO FORM LOOPS ON SAID FIRST BILL, MEANS FOR REDUCING THE SPEED OF SAID YARN FEED TO PULL A LOOP FROM THE FREE END OF SAID FIRST BILL WHEN SAID HOOK AND NEEDLE HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, THE FREE END OF SAID SECOND BILL BEING SPACED FROM THE FREE END OF SAID FIRST BILL IN THE PATH OF SAID PULLED LOOP TO CATCH SAID LOOP THEREON, MEANS FOR HOLDING LOOPS ON SAID FIRST BILL WHEN SAID YARN FEED IS NORMAL AND FOR RELEASING A LOOP PULLED FROM SAID FIRST BILL WHEN THE SPEED OF SAID YARN FEED IS REDUCED, AND MEANS FOR SEVERING SAID LOOPS ADJACENT THE CLOSED ENDS OF SAID BILLS.