Sewing – Special machines – Embroidering
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-29
2001-05-08
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3741)
Sewing
Special machines
Embroidering
C112S445000, C112S475190, C700S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227128
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a sewing machine having a display for displaying a sewing pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been proposed an embroidery sewing machine that includes a sewing device that forms stitches on a work cloth, a moving device that moves the position of the stitches, which are to be formed on the work cloth by the sewing device, one after another, by moving the work cloth relative to the sewing device based on sewing data, and a display device that displays an embroidery pattern to be formed on the work cloth by the cooperation between the sewing device and the moving device.
In such an embroidery sewing machine, the sewing device forms the stitches on a work cloth, and the moving device moves the work cloth relative to the sewing device. By the cooperation between the sewing device and the moving device, the stitches to be formed on the work cloth by the sewing device are changed one after another, whereby an embroidery pattern is formed on the work cloth. The display device displays the embroidery pattern, so that an user can observe and confirm the embroidery pattern to be formed on the work cloth prior to sewing.
When displaying the embroidery pattern on the display device, it is required that a size and a position on the work cloth of the embroidery pattern be displayed on the display device in numerical values, because the size and position are extremely important requirements to consider a balance between the embroidery pattern and the work cloth. Further, it is particularly important to display the position from the viewpoint of the technological advance described below.
Recently, in an embroidery sewing machine including a moving device that horizontally moves a work cloth held by an embroidery frame, it has been proposed to form a large embroidery pattern, which is larger in area than a moving range of the moving device, by changing a mounting position of the embroidery frame among three different positions, for example. Further, it has been proposed that a large embroidery pattern can be formed without changing the mounting position of the embroidery frame among three different positions by making improvements to the moving device so that the moving range of the moving device is expanded. In these cases, it is extremely important to display the position on the work cloth of the embroidery pattern on the display device. Recently, to display the position is particularly of increasing importance.
The display device of this type is for example structured by a liquid crystal display (LCD) provided on a surface of a standard portion of the sewing machine. Further, a touch panel may be structured by providing touch keys, which are transparent electrodes and are arranged on a grid on the LCD, and the position on the work cloth of the embroidery pattern may be changed by touching buttons on the touch panel by hand.
However, recently, a requirement to downsize the embroidery sewing machine has come into being and, therefore, the touch panel or the liquid crystal display (display device) must also be made smaller in size. Therefore, it is difficult to completely display the size and position on the work cloth of the embroidery pattern on the display device at one time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention will be described in the context of an embroidery sewing machine having a display, that can selectively display a size value of an embroidery pattern or a position value of the embroidery pattern on a work cloth as desired so that the display can be downsized. However, the invention could be applied to any sewing machine for sewing structured patterns, such as buttonholes.
In this regard, the sewing machine of the described embodiment, which is an embroidery sewing machine, of the invention may include a sewing device that forms a stitch on a work cloth, a moving mechanism that moves the work cloth relative to the sewing device, a display that displays a sewing pattern, and a display switching device that switches the display between a first display mode and a second display mode, a size value that represents a size of the sewing pattern being displayed in the first display mode, and a position value that represents a position of the sewing pattern on the work cloth being displayed in the second display mode.
According to the sewing machine structured as described above, the sewing device forms a pattern on a work cloth in cooperation with the moving mechanism. The display switching device switches the display between a first display mode and a second display mode. Therefore, the sewing machine can selectively display the size value representing a size of the sewing pattern or the position value representing a position of the sewing pattern on the work cloth using the display as desired. Further, the display is necessary to secure a space for displaying both the size value and the position value at once. Accordingly, the sewing machine and the display can be downsized at the same time the convenience of the display is maintained.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the size value and the position value may be displayed on substantially the same part of the display. According to the sewing machine structured as described above, the space of the display can be used efficiently, thereby the sewing machine and the display can be further downsized.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the display displays a distinguishable mark along with at least one of the size value or the position value so that the size value and the position value can be distinguished. According to the sewing machine structured as described above, an operator can surely distinguish at a glance whether the size value is displayed or the position value is displayed referring to the distinguishable mark. Therefore, the display can prevent the user from mixing up the values and the operability of the sewing machine can be increased.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the display switching device further switches the display to a third display mode, both the size value and the position value are displayed on the display in the third display mode. According to the sewing machine structured as described above, when the operator desires to confirm both the size value and the position value at the same time, the sewing machine switches the display to the third display mode, in which both the size value and the position value are displayed, using the display switching device. Therefore, the operability of the sewing machine can be further increased.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the display comprises a touch key panel, at least one button key is displayed on a predetermined area of the touch key panel, the size value and the position value are displayed on the predetermined area without displaying the button key in the third display mode. According to the sewing machine structured as described above, the operator can easily operate the sewing machine with touching button keys provided on the touch key panel. Further, the display can be further downsized. In addition, in the third display mode, the size value and the position value are displayed on the predetermined area for at least one button key which is not used. Therefore, the display of the size value and the position value does not need to be scaled down and the visibility of the values can be maintained in the third display mode. Accordingly, the sewing machine and the display can be further downsized.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5156107 (1992-10-01), Kyuno
patent: 5784986 (1998-07-01), Morita
patent: 5791270 (1998-08-01), Mori
patent: 6119611 (2000-09-01), Tomita
Hayakawa Akira
Tomita Shintaro
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nerbun Peter
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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