Method of and means for patterning a pile fabric

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING TUFTING YARNS FOR USE IN THE PRODUCTION OF A PATTERNED PILE FABRIC, COMPRISING SUPPLY MEANS FROM WHICH A NUMBER OF SAID YARNS EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF THUFTS IN THE WIDTH OF THE PATTERN TO BE REPRODUCED CAN BE DRAWN FORWARD IN LATERALLYSPACED COPLANAR RELATION, A SERIES OF DYE-TROUGHTS EACH CONTAINING A DIFFERENT COLOUR AND A PICK-UP ROLLER PARTIALLY IMMERSED THEREIN, MEANS FOR GUIDING THE SHEET OF YARNS IN A PATH NORMALLY CLEAR OF SAID PICK-UP ROLLERS, PRINTING MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY PRINTING ALL OF THE YARNS, SEPARATE PRINTING MEANS FOR PRINTING SELECTED INDIVIDUAL YARNS, ALL OF SUCH PRINTING MEANS RESPECTIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SEVERAL PICK-UP ROLLERS, CONTROL MEANS OPERATING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PATTERN TO BE REPRODUCED TO CAUSE SAID PRINTING MEANS TO PRESS SAID YARNS AGAINST SAID PICK-UP ROLLERSO THAT EACH YARN BECOMES IMPREGNATED WITH AT LEAST ONE COLOUR FOR A LENGTH THEREOF DEPANDENT UPON THE NUMBER OF TUFTS REQUIRED IN THAT PARTICULAR COLOUR IN A SINGLE REPEAT OF THE PATTERN LENGTHWISE OF THE FINAL FABRIC, AND A BEAM ON WHICH THE PRINTED YARNS ARE SIMULATNEOUSLY WOUND FOR TUFTING THEREWITH.