A History of Tufted Rugs

Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

John S. Doyel, "Rug-tufting device suitable for home use by hobyists" (US3968757A)

John S. Doyel, "Rug-tufting device suitable for home use by hobyists" (US3968757A)

Patent · not yet checked at the source

Made by
John S. Doyel
Date
filed 31 Oct 1975, granted 13 July 1976
Number
US3968757A
Themes
Hand-tufting tools & the gun, Tools & equipment

Cite this source

John S. Doyel, “Rug-tufting device suitable for home use by hobyists” (US3968757A), filed 31 Oct 1975, granted 13 July 1976. patents.google.com/patent/US3968757A/en.

Research notes

"A hand-operated rug-tufting device particularly suitable for home use by hobyists… inexpensively made primarily of molded plastic components" (abstract). An elongated housing with a needle drive handle at the back and a looper. Very likely the patent behind the Ronco Speed-Tufting Kit (1975, "Patent Pending"; ttw-ronco-speed-tufting-kit). No assignee is named. Its background is a short history of hand tools: the simplest is a punch needle (US 1,912,977, spring-loaded); others "use a looper in addition to the needle" and work by piercing the burlap, holding the loop with the looper, and moving both forward (US 1,614,576; 1,873,257; 1,935,915; 2,442,906; 3,714,915); and others use a pressure foot like a sewing machine (US 889,922; 673,730; 1,932,516; 1,937,946). Patent research (Oct 2026): read from Google Patents.