Apparatus for making non-woven pile material

Claim 2

Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality of elongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means, supporting said strands for withdrawal, said means terminating in a head of predetermined cross sectional area presenting the exposed terminal ends of said strands as a compacted but unconnected mass defining a substantially planar face; strand end unifying means, including a plate-like unifying element, maintained at a predetermined temperature and operably associated with, and movable relative to, said head for joining said exposed strand ends while said strand ends are supported in said head into a cohesive, film-like backing by which said strands may be withdrawn from said strand supply means; strand extraction means, including an element engageable with said film-like backing while said strand ends are supported in said head, and operably associated with, and movable relative to, said head, for pulling a predetermined length of said strands from said head by engagement with said backing, and strand severing means, operably associated with said head, and movable transversely thereof between said head and said filmlike backing for severing said withdrawn strands to form a flexible fabric piece having pile of predetermined length projecting from said film-like backing.

Claim 3

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said head comprises a grid, or honeycomb openwork, formed of a multiplicity of close spaced open tubular cells, each tubular cell being the terminus of one of a multiplicity of elongated tubular guides, each containing a bundle of strands of a selected color to define a pattern, each said tubular cell encompassing one of said bundles to offer close support to said strands during severance thereof while maintaining the inTegrity of said pattern.

Claim 4

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said head comprises a multiplicity of closely spaced open cells, forming a honeycomb type openwork to maintain the integrity of a pre-selected colored pattern and each said cell includes two, right angularly disposed pairs of spring braking arms adapted to compact the strands passing therethrough while applying tension thereon against the pull of said extraction means during severing of said strands.

Claim 5

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strands are of fusible plastic material and said plate-like unifying element of said strand end unifying means is a smooth, heated fusion plate adapted to engage said planar face and melt said strand ends to fuse into said cohesive film-like backing.

Claim 6

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strands are of non-fusible material and said strand end unifying means includes a heating member and a thin sheet of heat fusible plastic material interposed between said member and said ends to fuse said ends into said backing.

Claim 7

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand end unifying means is a hot plate and includes a grille of fine, strong wire having loops projecting entirely therearound, said grille being integrally bonded to said ends during the unification thereof by said hot plate, whereby the resulting flexible, pile fabric pieces may be assembled together into a pattern by interconnecting said integral projecting loops.

Claim 8

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand extraction means is a barbed, suction plate, said plate having a reverse sculptured surface in a predetermined pattern, whereby the pile in the resultant severed piece of pile fabric has an obverse sculptured surface.

Claim 9

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand end unifying means is a hot plate and includes means for interposing a relatively thick layer of heat settable plastic backing material between said ends and said plate while said strand ends are supported in said head to form a relatively rigid backing on the resultant piece of pile fabric; whereby said piece forms a pile-carrying plastic tile.

Claim 10

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand end unifying means and said strand severing means both are formed by at least one heated, endless cutting blade arranged to sever said strands as it fuses the severed portions thereof into a unified film-like backing.

Claim 11

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said head comprises a grid, or honeycomb openwork, of open ended, closely spaced cells and said strand extraction means is a corresponding grid of said cells, mounted to move axially and slidably on said first named grid; said second named grid advancing said mass of strands out of said head by pushing against the inner face of each successive film-like backing formed by said unifying means thereby pulling said mass of strands out of said head and maintaining tension thereon during severance.

Claim 12

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand extraction means is a plate-like support co-extensive in area with said head, said support including a plurality of spaced corkscrew, or auger, elements and means for rotating said elements to penetrate said backing and grip the same for withdrawal.

Claim 13

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand extraction means is a plate-like support, divided by suction slots into strips alternately axially movable in opposite axial directions and wherein said strips each include a multiplicity of undercut, hook-like barbs, said suction slots drawing a still melted backing into the undercuts of said barbs to firmly grip said backing and said alternate, axially, movable strips serving to strip said backing from said barbed plate.

Claim 14

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said apparatus includes spray means for thoroughly moistening said exposed ends of said strands and cooling the same to just above freezing temperature of said moisture, and said plate-like unifying element of said strand end unifying means comprises a freeze plate maintained at a temperature of well below said freezing temperature, and applied endwise to said exposed ends to unify said ends into said film-like backing.

Claim 15

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand supply means includes a close packed mass of thin walled tubes, each encompassing an individual bundle of said strands and supporting the same during severance, the walls of said tubes frictionally retarding the advance of the bundle therewithin to hold the same taut during said pulling and severance thereof.

Claim 16

Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand end unifying means includes a hot plate for making said planar face tacky and said strand extraction means includes an extraction plate divided into a plurality of individual metal strips connected alternately in groups, one group being movable relative to the other, said strips having an extraction face with a plurality of sharp elements thereon and mechanism for advancing and retracting said strips when said extraction face is pressed against said tacky planar face. whereby said sharp elements obtain a grip in said tacky backing while orienting the material thereof.

Claim 17

Apparatus for making a non-woven pile fabric of relatively low density of pile from continuous, filamentary, synthetic strand material, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means, including a grid of open-ended, tubular conduits defining a predetermined pattern and supporting tows of various colors in compacted, but unconnected, condition for withdrawal, with the mass of exposed strand ends defining a planar face; strand end unifying means including a plate, heated to well above the melting point of said strands, and movable toward and away from said face to fuse said ends into a cohesive, film-like backing, strand extraction means including a plate, having sharp elements thereon adapted to be embedded in said backing, when in melted condition, and having stripper mechanism thereon, said plate being movable toward and away from said face to grip said backing, extract a predetermined length of said strands and hold the same under tension; strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and said retracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile from said strands while said strands are under said tension; and automatic control means for actuating said unifying means, said extraction means and said severing means successively to produce a plurality of individual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to be included in an overall pile fabric design.

Claim 18

Apparatus for making a non-woven pile fabric of relatively low density of pile from continuous, filamentary, synthetic strand material, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means, including a grid of open-ended, tubular conduits defining a predetermined pattern and supporting tows of various colors in compacted, but unconnected, condition for withdrawal, with the mass of exposed strand ends defining a planar face; strand end unifying means including a plate, heated to well above the melting point of said strands, and movable toward and away from said face to fuse said ends into a cohesive, film-like backing, strand extraction means including a plate, having sharp elements thereon adapted to be embedded in said backing, when in melted condition, and having stripper mechanism thereon, said plate being movable toward and away from said face to grip said backing, extract a predetermined length of said strands and hold the same under tension; strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and said retracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile from said strands while said strands are under said tension; and automatic control means for actuating said unifying means, said extraction means and said severing means successively to produce a plurality of individual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to be included in an overall pile fabric design.

Claim 19

Apparatus as specified in claim 16, wherein: said strand extraction means includes a plurality of metal strips, each supporting some said sharp elements, and alternately movable toward and away from said planar face and includes means for moving said strips to orient the material of said film-like backing.

Claim 20

Apparatus as specified in claim 16 wherein: said extraction means includes a plurality of strips forming said plate and carrying said sharp elements, mechanism for moving said strips to orient the material of said film-like backing and suction slot means for drawing said material into the grip of said sharp elements.

Claim 21

Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means, including a battery of tubular strand guides, terminating in a pattern head of predetermined area, for parallelizing running lengths of pile-forming strands into a relatively close packed mass of exposed, strand ends in a predetermined pattern framed in said head; strand end unifying means, operably associated with said pattern head, said means including a hot plate, coextensive in area with said head, and movable toward and away therefrom, for joining said strand ends into a cohEsive film-like backing; extraction means operably associated with said pattern head, and movable relative thereto, said means comprising a barbed, suction plate for contacting said film-like backing and withdrawing a predetermined length of said strands, ready for transverse severance into a pile, and strand severing means operably associated with said pattern head and movable in a path between said extraction means and said pattern head, said means including an endless band saw for cutting said strands into a flexible, fabric piece having an integral backing with a patterned upstanding pile. strand extraction means including a plate, having sharp elements thereon adapted to be embedded in said backing, when in melted condition, and having stripper mechanism thereon, said plate being movable toward and away from said face to grip said backing, extract a predetermined length of said strands and hold the same under tension; strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and said retracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile from said strands while said strands are under said tension; and automatic control means for actuating said unifying means, said extraction means and said severing means successively to produce a plurality of individual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to be included in an overall pile fabric design.

Claim 22

Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means, including a battery of tubular strand guides, terminating in a pattern head of predetermined area, for parallelizing running lengths of pile-forming strands into a relatively close packed mass of exposed, strand ends in a predetermined pattern framed in said head; strand end unifying means, operably associated with said pattern head, said means including a hot plate, coextensive in area with said head, and movable toward and away therefrom, for joining said strand ends into a cohEsive film-like backing; extraction means operably associated with said pattern head, and movable relative thereto, said means comprising a barbed, suction plate for contacting said film-like backing and withdrawing a predetermined length of said strands, ready for transverse severance into a pile, and strand severing means operably associated with said pattern head and movable in a path between said extraction means and said pattern head, said means including an endless band saw for cutting said strands into a flexible, fabric piece having an integral backing with a patterned upstanding pile. strand extraction means including a plate, having sharp elements thereon adapted to be embedded in said backing, when in melted condition, and having stripper mechanism thereon, said plate being movable toward and away from said face to grip said backing, extract a predetermined length of said strands and hold the same under tension; strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and said retracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile from said strands while said strands are under said tension; and automatic control means for actuating said unifying means, said extraction means and said severing means successively to produce a plurality of individual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to be included in an overall pile fabric design.

Claim 23

Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality of elongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means supporting said strands for withdrawal, said means terminating in a head of predetermined cross sectional area presenting the exposed terminal ends of said strands as a compacted, but unconnected, mass defining a substantially planar face; a strand end unifying plate, mounted to move toward and away from said face, and maintained at a predetermined temperature, said plate joining the exposed ends of said strands into a cohesive film-like backing by which said strands may be withdrawn by pulling from said head; a strand extraction means, mounted to move toward and away from said film-like backing to engage said backing and advance the same out of said head a predetermined distance, pull the strands taut for severance and then release said backing, and strand severing means, mounted to move transversely between said head and said film-like backing while said backing is engaged by said extraction means while said strands are held taut thereby, for severing said strands to form a flexible fabric piece with a preformed film-like backing and with a preformed pile or predetermined length projecting from said backing.

Claim 24

Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality of elongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means supporting said strands for withdrawal, said means terminating in a head of predetermined cross sectional area presenting the exposed terminal ends of said strands as a compacted, but unconnected, mass defining a substantially planar face; a strand end unifying plate, mounted to move toward and away from said face, and maintained at a predetermined temperature, said plate joining the exposed ends of said strands into a cohesive film-like backing by which said strands may be withdrawn by pulling from said head; a strand extraction means, mounted to move toward and away from said film-like backing to engage said backing and advance the same out of said head a predetermined distance, pull the strands taut for severance and then release said backing, and strand severing means, mounted to move transversely between said head and said film-like backing while said backing is engaged by said extraction means while said strands are held taut thereby, for severing said strands to form a flexible fabric piece with a preformed film-like backing and with a preformed pile or predetermined length projecting from said backing.