Jet pattern dyeing of material, particularly carpet

Claim 1

Apparatus for pattern dyeing a continuously moving carpet web comprising means for conveying the carpet continuously along a substantially horizontal path past a dye applicator station; at least one dye applicator at said station positioned above the path of said carpet web and extending across the width of the carpet web transverse to the direction movement of the carpet web; each applicator including at least one dye manifold adapted to be maintained under pressure and at least one air manifold adapted to be maintained under a pressure, a plurality of dye delivery tubes, each tube having an inlet end and an outlet end and at least a portion thereof which is flexible so as to permit pinching of the flexible portion, a pinch tube valve assembly receiving each of said flexible portions for selective control of dye flow through the tube, each of said delivery tubes having its inlet end connected to a dye manifold and its outlet end supported above the path of the carpet web and adjacent thereto; said valve assembly comprising a valve block having a bore extending through said block for receiving the flexible portion of the associated tube, a passageway in said block, said passageway intersecting with said bore at a right angle thereto, the intersection of said bore and said passageway defining a pinch chamber, an electrically operated pneumatic valve connected to an air manifold, an intermediate block portion member supported at one end to said valve block and supporting at its other end said pneumatic valve, an air chamber formed between said other end of said intermediate block portion and the pneumatic valve, said intermediate block portion including a central chamber communicating with said air chamber, piston means within said central chamber having a rod section at one end selectively reciprocal in said passageway between a first position and a second position, a freely floating ball disposed in said passageway between one end of the rod section and the flexible portion of the associated tube for pinching the flexible tube into a closed condition in response to actuation of said pneumatic valve and positioning of said rod section in its second position, said pinch chamber having a flattened wall portion circular in shape and being formed in said bore opposite the intersecting passageway and said flattened wall portion being in a plane perpendicular to said intersecting passageway so as to allow expansion of said tube upon pinching thereof; and controller means for selective actuation of the pinch tube valve assembly as the carpet web is conveyed past the applicator station to effect dyeing of the carpet web in the desired pattern.