Knife holder module for cut pile tufting machine

Claim 1

In a cut pile tufting machine having means for supporting a base fabric for longitudinal movement in a tufting direction through said machine, a plurality of transversely spaced reciprocal needles for introducing yarns through said base fabric to form loops, a looper hook for each needle on the opposite side of the base fabric from the needles and adapted to cooperate with a corresponding needle to seize and hold a yarn carried by the needle to form a loop, a cutting apparatus comprising: (a) a knife holder module comprising a block member having front and rear portions and top and bottom faces, (b) a plurality of elongated knife slots extending upright through said block member and opening through said top and bottom faces, each of said knife slots having a widthwise dimension extending front-to-rear of said block member, (c) said block member comprising a front section and a rear section, said front section including front portions of said knife slots and having an extending locking member, said rear section including rear portions of said knife slots and having a cooperating locking member adapted to cooperate with said extending locking member in an operative position for securing said front and rear sections together to form a knife block member having corresponding knife slots, each of which completely surrounds and is in substantial solid contact with a corresponding knife received in said knife slot, (d) a plurality of elongated knives, each knife being received in a corresponding knife slot for longitudinal slidable movement, (e) adjustable securing means in said block member for engaging and holding each knife in said corresponding knife slot, (f) a knife bar, (g) means securing said block member on said knife bar, (h) drive means for reciprocably moving said knife bar so that said knives cooperate with corresponding looper hooks for cutting loops on the looper hooks to form cut pile tufts.