Patent US3646780A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3646780A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Apparatus and method for making a stitch-bonded fabric
Assignee: Cosmopolitan Textile Co Ltd
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Filing: 1969-10-17
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Granted: 1972-03-07
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Expires: 1989-10-17
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for the production of a stitch-bonded fabric in which the stitches are locked by the formation of tufts or loops of fiber which are interlocked into the stitches of thread produced by the reciprocation of a series of tubular or slide needles. The invention also provides timing of the movements of the slide or tubular needles relative to the movements of the closing wires or rods for these needles and to the control of the distance moved by the needles and the closing wires or rods so that the wires or rods do not penetrate the fibrous batt completely and the degree of penetration of the needles is controlled to prevent the creation of voids in the batt which will prevent the formation of fiber loops when the needles are retracted to form stitches.
Inventors
- 👤 Arno Edgar Wildeman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 11:42
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/44; D04H1/52; D04B; D04B23/00; D04B23/10; D04B23/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
250 words
The method of producing a stitch-bonded fabric having fleece and fibers, said method including the steps of reciprocating a series of needles through a fleece, while progressing the fleece successively between each successive needle insertion, halting a rod or wire associated with each needle within the fleece, halting the needles after penetration of the fleece and before they have penetrated to an extent such that the greatest height of needle has passed through the fleece, laying a thread over the hook of each needle, retracting the needles to draw the threads through the fleece in the form of loops, and simultaneously to collect by the inherent resiliency of the fleece a bundle of fibers from the region of the face of the fleece from which the needle hooks have projected, closing the hooks of the needles by the wires or rods to retain the threads and the fiber bunches in the needle hooks, retracting the needles together with said collected fibers and thread in said hooks, opening the needle hooks after retraction of the needles from the fleece, moving the needles into the fleece after progressing the latter in the take up direction thus to cause the threads and the fibers to lie on the shanks of the needles, halting the wires or rods within the fleece and projecting the needles through the fleece, laying further loops of thread on the needles and repeating the cycle continuously to produce lines of fiber-locked interengaged stitches of thread to produce a fabric.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
250 words
The method of producing a stitch-bonded fabric having fleece and fibers, said method including the steps of reciprocating a series of needles through a fleece, while progressing the fleece successively between each successive needle insertion, halting a rod or wire associated with each needle within the fleece, halting the needles after penetration of the fleece and before they have penetrated to an extent such that the greatest height of needle has passed through the fleece, laying a thread over the hook of each needle, retracting the needles to draw the threads through the fleece in the form of loops, and simultaneously to collect by the inherent resiliency of the fleece a bundle of fibers from the region of the face of the fleece from which the needle hooks have projected, closing the hooks of the needles by the wires or rods to retain the threads and the fiber bunches in the needle hooks, retracting the needles together with said collected fibers and thread in said hooks, opening the needle hooks after retraction of the needles from the fleece, moving the needles into the fleece after progressing the latter in the take up direction thus to cause the threads and the fibers to lie on the shanks of the needles, halting the wires or rods within the fleece and projecting the needles through the fleece, laying further loops of thread on the needles and repeating the cycle continuously to produce lines of fiber-locked interengaged stitches of thread to produce a fabric.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method set forth in claim 1 including the step of halting the retraction of said needles outside said fleece, and also retracting said wires to open the hooks of said needles, and when said needles again commence forward movement, the loops of thread and fibers from the hooks are transferred to the shanks of said needles for interengagement with subsequent loops of thread and fiber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
213 words
Apparatus for producing a stitch-bonded fabric having a plurality of longitudinal rows of stitched seams and in which the stitches are locked against removal by causing fibers anchored in the fleece to become interengaged with the loops of the stitches, said apparatus comprising a series of needles arranged to penetrate a fleece, hooks on said needles, said hooks having an inclined surface, a hook-closing wire for each needle, thread guides for laying threads across the hooks of said needles, means for moving said needles collectively to reciprocate such as to penetrate through and retract from said fleece, independent means collectively to reciprocate said hook-closing wires in synchronism with said needles and to limit the stroke of said wires to cause entry into but not penetration through said fleece and not sufficiently to cover said inclined surface, and to retract said wires, whereby said hook ends of said needles may be provided with threads from said thread guides and, upon retraction may collect in said hook a loop of fibers from said fleece to draw same together with said yarn through said fleece and cause interengagement of loops of thread and interlocking of said loops with loops of fibers, and a cloth retention bar below said needles defining a restricted throaT for the fleece.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
213 words
Apparatus for producing a stitch-bonded fabric having a plurality of longitudinal rows of stitched seams and in which the stitches are locked against removal by causing fibers anchored in the fleece to become interengaged with the loops of the stitches, said apparatus comprising a series of needles arranged to penetrate a fleece, hooks on said needles, said hooks having an inclined surface, a hook-closing wire for each needle, thread guides for laying threads across the hooks of said needles, means for moving said needles collectively to reciprocate such as to penetrate through and retract from said fleece, independent means collectively to reciprocate said hook-closing wires in synchronism with said needles and to limit the stroke of said wires to cause entry into but not penetration through said fleece and not sufficiently to cover said inclined surface, and to retract said wires, whereby said hook ends of said needles may be provided with threads from said thread guides and, upon retraction may collect in said hook a loop of fibers from said fleece to draw same together with said yarn through said fleece and cause interengagement of loops of thread and interlocking of said loops with loops of fibers, and a cloth retention bar below said needles defining a restricted throaT for the fleece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
103 words
Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including, spaced fleece guides between which said fleece may pass, spaced members on said fleece guides between which said needles and said wires may reciprocate, and fabric guides associated with said fleece guides and below said spaced members of said fleece guides between which a fabric formed by the production of stitches therein may pass, said fleece guides and said fabric guides collectively constraining said fleece and said fabric from movement with said needles during insertion and retraction thus to enable correct formation and tightening of stitches of thread and loops of fiber to be achieved.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-03-07 | 1975-09-06 | 1976-03-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-03-07 | 1979-09-06 | 1980-03-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-03-07 | 1983-09-06 | 1984-03-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |