Gary L. Ingram / Textile Corporation of America (later Tapistron), "Tufting apparatus" (US4991523A)

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Research notes

Ingram's base patent for the multi-hollow-needle patterning tufter that became Tapistron's CYP. Later patents say it shifts the backing sideways, not the needle heads, so much less weight moves and the shifting is faster and more accurate. A blade working with the hollow needle cuts the yarn or leaves it uncut, giving loop, cut or cut/loop pile. Ingram's work is described as a modification of Kile's US4549496 (issued 29 Oct 1985), a multi-head machine with pneumatically fed hollow needles placing yarns of different colours. US5080028 ('Apparatus for producing tufted goods using yarns of different color or texture') claims priority from the same application. Assignments run from Ingram to Textile Corporation of America, then Tapistron International, then Frontier Bank. Verified Oct 2026 by web search only. The 12 Feb 1991 date comes from a later Ingram patent's cross-reference. The 1989 filing year is inferred from the application series and was not shown. Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.