Sewing – Special machines – Embroidering
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-29
2001-02-20
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3741)
Sewing
Special machines
Embroidering
C112S470060, C112S475190, C700S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189467
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a sewing machine capable of embroidering, specifically to a sewing machine that subtracts colors included in color display data and generates a subtractive color display data, then writes the subtractive color data into a non-volatile storing medium.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in an electronically-controlled sewing machine capable of embroidering on a work cloth (hereinafter referred to as an embroidery sewing machine), pattern data for various types of embroidery patterns are stored in a ROM provided in the sewing machine or in a ROM of a ROM card, which is removably inserted into the embroidery sewing machine. A desired embroidery pattern is selected from the various embroidery patterns stored in the ROM. Based on sewing data included in the selected pattern data, an embroidery frame is controlled to move back/forth and right/left, and a needle (a needle bar) moving up and down and a rotary hook are also controlled their movements, and thus the embroidery pattern is embroidered on a work cloth held by the embroidery frame.
Further, the embroidery sewing machine is generally provided with a display. A selected embroidery pattern is displayed on the display based on display data included in pattern data of the selected embroidery pattern, so that an operator confirms the selected embroidery pattern. Further, by performing key operations with editing keys, one or a plurality of embroidery patterns can be edited (e.g., changing the arrangement, enlargement/reduction, or rotation of the pattern) in a pattern display area that corresponds to the embroidery frame.
An embroidery sewing machine in which the display data and the sewing data are rewritably stored in a nonvolatile storing medium, such as a flash memory, has come into practical use, so that once a selected/edited embroidery pattern is set, it can be sewn without selecting/editing it again. In such an embroidery machine, the embroidery pattern is confirmed by displaying the embroidery pattern based on display data stored in the nonvolatile storing medium. When the embroidery pattern is determined as the embroidery pattern to be sewn, the sewing operation of the embroidery pattern can be executed based on sewing data stored in the nonvolatile storing medium.
Recently, there is an embroidery sewing machine that is provided with a color display to display an embroidery pattern in actual colors when the embroidery pattern is colored.
In the embroidery sewing machine that displays the embroidery pattern on the display in color, the data amount for the color display data becomes enormous. For example, the data amount of one dot for displaying the embroidery pattern in black and white is one bit. When the embroidery pattern is displayed in 256 colors, the data amount of one dot requires one byte. Further, when the embroidery pattern is displayed in 640 million colors, the data amount of one dot requires two bytes. Actually, thousands of thread colors can be used for embroidering, so that one dot is expressed by one byte or more of the data.
Therefore, the color display data having the enormous amounts of data has to be stored in the nonvolatile storing medium. Accordingly, in order to store certain amounts of the selected/edited embroidery data in the nonvolatile storing medium, the storage capacity of the nonvolatile storing medium needs to be made large, so that the manufacturing costs may increase.
In another conventional embroidery sewing machine that displays the embroidery pattern on the display in black and white, the data amount of the display data is small even when the pattern data of the embroidery pattern is stored in the nonvolatile storing medium, so that the storage amount of the nonvolatile storing medium does not need to be enormous. However, the selected/edited embroidery data can not be displayed on the display in color, so that the embroidery pattern can not be confirmed in the actual colors. Accordingly, it is difficult for an operator to image a finished embroidery pattern.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention will be described in the context of a sewing machine capable of embroidering, that subtracts, or removes, colors included in color display data and generates a subtractive color display data, then writes the subtractive color data into a non-volatile storing medium so that a memory amount of the non-volatile storing medium can be made smaller. The invention is applicable to a machine for any type of structured pattern sewing that might require groups of stitches having different colors.
In this regard, the sewing machine capable of embroidering or sewing a complex, structured pattern on a work cloth of the embodiment of the invention may include a pattern data reading device that reads an embroidery, or structured, pattern data including color display data and sewing data from an embroidery pattern data storing device, a display device including a color display that displays the embroidery pattern based on the color display data read by the pattern data reading device, a pattern selecting device that selects one of embroidery pattern, a color subtracting device that subtracts the colors included in the display data for the selected embroidery pattern and generates subtractive color display data, a pattern data writing device that writes the subtractive color display data into a non-volatile storing medium, and a display controller that controls the display device to display a subtractive color embroidery pattern based on the subtractive color display data stored in the non-volatile storing medium.
According to the sewing machine structured as described above, the color subtracting device subtracts colors included in the display data for the selected embroidery pattern and generates subtractive color display data. And the pattern data writing device writes the subtractive color display data into the non-volatile storing medium. Therefore, the non-volatile storing medium can store more pattern data of the embroidery patterns, compared with the case where it stores the color display data whose data amount is large. That is, the storage capacity of the non-volatile storing medium can be smaller, so that the manufacturing costs can be reduced.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may include an edit device that edits the embroidery pattern selected by the pattern selecting device, and the color subtracting device may generate the subtractive color display data based on the embroidery pattern edited by the edit device. Therefore, a user can set and sew one or a plurality of selected/edited pattern data as an embroidery pattern to be sewn without selecting/editing it again.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the color subtracting device may generate a monochrome display data. As the data amount of the monochrome data is much smaller than that of the corresponding color display data, the storage capacity of the non-volatile storing medium can be made smaller and thereby the manufacturing costs can be reduced.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the pattern data writing device may write sewing data and thread color data into the non-volatile storing device, and the sewing apparatus may include a color display data generating device that generates color display data based on the sewing data and the thread color data or based on the subtractive color data and the thread color data. Therefore, the color display data can be generated from the sewing data and the thread color data or from the subtractive color data and the thread color data whereas the storage amount of the non-volatile storing medium is not increased although the color display data is stored by storing the color display data in the non-volatile storing medium.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may include a nonvolatile storing medium therein.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine capable of embroidering on a work cloth may include a pattern data reading device that reads an em
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nerbun Peter
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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