Process and apparatus for treating textile materials with a liquid

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ROPE FORM WITH A LIQUID WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING A ZONE CONTAINING THE TREATING LIQUID; WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE LIQUID FROM SAID ZONE, RECYCLING THE THUS WITHDRAWN LIQUID TO A POINT WITHIN SAID ZONE AND ADJACENT ONE SIDE THEREOF, FORMING THE RECYCLED LIQUID AT THIS POINT INTO A CONICAL JET OF DIMINISHING CROSS-SECTION BY PASSING SAID RECYCLED LIQUID THROUGH A VENTURI, THE DISCHARGE FROM SAID VENTURI BEING PASSED ACROSS THE TOP OF SAID ZONE IN A CLOSED ARCUATE PATH WHICH DISCHARGES DOWNWARDLY INTO THE TREATING LIQUID ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID ZONE, FEEDING ONE END OF THE TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ROPE FORM INTO SUBSTANTIALLY THE CENTER OF SAID CONICAL JET ADJACENT THE POINT WHERE SAID JET IS FORMED WHEREBY SAID TEXTILE MATERIAL IS DRAWN BY SAID JET THROUGH SAID CLOSED, ARCUATE PATH AND DISCHARGED DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID LIQUID, ALLOWING THE DISCHARGED TEXTILE MATERIAL TO ACCUMULATE IN SAID LIQUID, JOINING THE DISCHARGED END OF TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID TEXTILE MATERIAL BEFORE THE LATTER IS FED