Tufting machine needles

Claim 1

A needle for embedding within the body of a tufting machine needle module comprising a generally flat elongated element having a point at one end thereof and a yarn receiving eye adjacent said point, said element having a width greater than its thickness, said eye comprising an aperture extending transversely through the surfaces defining the thickness, a first region on non-uniform cross-sectional form within that longitudinal extent of the needle remote from the point intended for location within the body of the module, said first region comprising a localized region of increased width and reduced thickness relative to the transverse dimensions of an adjacent part of the elongate element, a pick-up area adjacent the eye, and a second region having, in at least one direction, a locating means defined by a predetermined transverse dimension intermediate the first region and the said pick-up area, said first and second regions lying substantially in the same plane, the said element being twisted intermediate the second region and the pick-up area to provide a set whereby that part of the element which provides the pick-up area lies in a plane inclined at a small acute angle relative to the plane of the first and second regions.