Pattern control for tufting machine attachments

Claim 1

IN A TUFTING MACHINE HAVING A PATTERN CONTROLLED YARN FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FEEDING YARN AT DIFFERENT RATES TO THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDLES OF THE TUFTING MACHING AND COMPRISING AN ELECTRICALLY-ACTUATED CONTROL MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF YARN FEED AND A PATTERN MECHANISM FOR ACTUATING SAID CONTROL MEANS, SAID PATTERN MECHANISM COMPRISING A CONSOLE REMOTE FROM THE MACHINE, A SHAFT JOURNALED IN SAID CONSOLE, MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE MACHINE FOR DRIVING SAID SHAFT IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE OPERATION OF THE TUFTING MACHINE, A PATTERN ELEMENT COMPRISING AN ENDLESS BELT OF FLEXIBLE TRANSPARENT MATERIAL MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID BELT IN SAID CONSOLE FOR ADVANCING SAID BELT ENDLESSLY AND FOR FLEXING SAID BELT LONGITUDINALLY AS IT IS ADVANCED, MEANS COUPLING SAID BELT TO SAID SHAFT FOR ADVANCING SAID BELT IN TIMED RELATION WITH SAID SHAFT UPON ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT, SAID BELT HAVING OPAQUE AREAS DEFINING A DESIRED PATTERN, PHOTOELECTRIC MEANS DISPOSED IN OPERATIVE RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID BELT TO RESPOND TO LIGHT TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE TRANSPARENT AREAS OF SAID BELT, AND MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING SAID PHOTOELECTRIC MEANS TO SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR ACTUATION OF SAID CONTROL MEANS BY SAID PHOTOELECTRIC MEANS AS THE TRANSPARENT AND OPAQUE AREAS OF SAID BELT ARE MOVED INTO OPERATIVE RELATION WITH SAID PHOTOELECTRIC MEANS.