Air feed tufting machine

Claim 1

IN A TUFTING MACHINE FOR FORMING YARN PILE IN A FABRIC HAVING A FRAME, DRIVE MEANS ON SAID FRAME, A NEEDLE CARRIER MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR RECIPROCATION, MEANS CONNECTING SAID NEEDLE CARRIER AND SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING TO SAID NEEDLE CARRIER RECIPROCATION COMPRISING A WORK PENTRATING STROKE AND A RETURN STROKE, A HOLLOW NEEDLE HAVING A SHANK SECURED WITHIN SAID NEEDLE CARRIER AND RECIPROCABLE THEREWITH, SAID NEEDLE HAVING A WORK PENETRATING END AND A YARN INLET OPENING IN THE SHANK THEREOF AND A YARN OUTLET OPENING IN THE WORK PENETRATING END THEREOF FOR INTRODUCING A YARN INTO THE HOLLOW OF SAID NEEDLE AND OUT THE WORK PENETRATING END THEREOF, A SOURCE OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE, CONDUIT MEANS FOR DIRECTING A FLOW OF AIR FROM SAID SOURCE TO SAID NEEDLE CARRIER, SAID CONDUIT MEANS INCLUDING TELESCOPING TUBULAR ELEMENTS COMPRISING A FIRST ELEMENT SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND A SECOND ELEMENT SECURED TO SAID NEEDLE CARRIER, SAID NEEDLE HAVING AN AIR INLET OPENING IN THE SHANK THEREOF AND SAID NEEDLE CARRIER HAVING A BORE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CONDUIT MEANS AND WITH SAID AIR INLET OPENING, SAID BORE AND THE AIR INLET OPENING IN SAID NEEDLE BEING INCLINED RELATIVELY TO THE AXIS OF SAID YARN INLET OPENING FOR DIRECTING THE FLOW OF AIR INTO THE HOLLOW OF SAID NEEDLE AND TOWARD THE WORK PENETRATING END THEREOF ON THE UPSTROKE OF THE NEEDLE TO FORCE OUTWARDLY OF THE WORK PENETRATING END OF SAID NEEDLE A LENGTH OF YARN FOR FORMING A LOOP THAT IS ADAPTED TO BE OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE DEPT OF PENETRATING OF THE NEEDLE AT THE END OF THE WORK PENETRATING STROKE THEREOF.