Sewing – Special machines – Embroidering
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-29
2001-01-23
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3741)
Sewing
Special machines
Embroidering
C112S470040, C112S475190, C700S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176189
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a sewing machine. Particularly, to a sewing machine that sets the sewing conditions, such as the stitch width, stitch length, and thread tension, for each stitch pattern and rewritably stores the set sewing conditions in a non-volatile memory in correspondence with each stitch pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional sewing machine with a display commonly displays various types of sewable stitch patterns to allow an operator to select a desired stitch pattern therefrom, as a stitch pattern to be sewn, and also displays at least part of the selected stitch pattern or the name of the selected stitch pattern to notify the operator of the selected stitch pattern.
An electronically controlled sewing machine of this kind is widely available and is designed to display, on a display, the sewing conditions (stitch width, stitch length, thread tension, and the like) for a selected stitch pattern if it is a utility stitch pattern, such as a straight stitch pattern or a zigzag stitch pattern, in order to allow an operator to set the sewing conditions using sewing condition setting keys.
As shown in
FIG. 13
, a sewing machine the applicants have put to practical use has a display
100
and a plurality of touch keys provided on the surface of the display
100
. The functions of the touch keys are displayed on the display
100
. For example, when a zigzag pattern key
102
is pressed on a utility stitch pattern selection screen
101
, a zigzag stitch pattern is selected as the stitch pattern to be sewn.
Then, at the top of the display
100
, a horizontal zigzag stitch pattern and the stitch pattern name “Zigzag (C)” are displayed. Also, below a plurality of stitch patterns, as displayed on the display
100
, the stitch width “7.0 mm”, the stitch length “2.5 mm”, and the thread tension “5” are displayed as the sewing conditions of the selected zigzag stitch pattern. The thread tension “5” represents the fifth level from the weakest level on a 1-to-9 scale, and is indicated by an illuminating indicator lamp that is the fifth from one end of a row of nine indicator lamps.
Default values for the sewing conditions for various types of stitch patterns are prestored in a ROM of a control unit. Assuming that
FIG. 13
shows a screen displayed immediately after a zigzag stitch pattern has been selected, the stitch width “7.0 mm”, the stitch length “2.5 mm”, and the thread tension “5” are displayed as the sewing condition default values for the zigzag stitch pattern.
On the utility stitch pattern selection screen
101
, a plurality of touch sewing condition setting keys
103
a,
103
b,
104
a
104
b,
105
a
-
105
c
are provided to allow an operator to change the sewing condition default values to desired values.
As described above, in the conventional electronically controlled sewing machine, the sewing condition default values are read from the ROM each time a stitch pattern is selected, and an operator uses the sewing condition setting keys to change the sewing condition default values to desired values. As desired sewing conditions are hard to set only by judging from the displayed sewing conditions, the sewing conditions are set, in many cases, and a trial sewing is then performed.
In the conventional electrically controlled sewing machine, the sewing condition default values stored in the ROM are set as the sewing conditions, each time a stitch pattern is selected. Thus, even when the sewing condition for a certain stitch pattern has been set as desired, the set sewing conditions cannot be used when the same stitch pattern is selected later.
The sewing conditions previously set for a certain stitch pattern are often desired to be used again when the same stitch pattern is selected. In such a case, however, the desired sewing conditions must be set again, using the sewing condition setting keys to change the sewing condition default values. Trial sewing must then be again performed if needed to verify the stitch is as desired. This procedure is very tedious.
On the other hand, because the sewing condition default values for a stitch pattern are normally set to be optimal values so as to provide preferable conditions for sewing the stitch pattern, there is a case where the sewing conditions changed for a certain stitch pattern are desired to be reset to the default values when the same stitch pattern is selected later.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 5-228275 discloses an embroidery machine in which its operating environment is set and registered in an EEPROM for each operator or for each machine part condition, and the operating environment is suitably set by selecting the operator or the machine part condition to be used. In this embroidery machine, however, the sewing conditions cannot be set for each stitch pattern.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a sewing machine that can set the sewing conditions for each stitch pattern, and store the set sewing conditions in a non-volatile memory in correspondence with each stitch pattern to allow the set sewing conditions to be used later, and also easily reset changed sewing conditions to the default values.
In this regard, a sewing machine of the embodiment of the invention may include a stitch formation mechanism capable of forming plural kinds of stitch patterns on a work cloth, a sewing condition setting device that sets a sewing condition for each stitch pattern, the sewing condition being used for forming the stitch pattern by the stitch formation mechanism, a nonvolatile memory that rewritably stores the sewing condition, and a writing device that writes the sewing condition into the non-volatile memory in correspondence with each stitch pattern set by the sewing condition setting device.
According to the sewing machine structured as described above, a sewing condition setting device sets a sewing condition for each stitch pattern, the writing device writes the sewing condition into the non-volatile memory in correspondence with each stitch pattern set by the sewing condition setting device and then the stitch formation mechanism forms the stitch pattern on a work cloth using the sewing condition for the stitch pattern. Therefore, as the non-volatile memory stores the sewing condition for each stitch pattern, when the previously set sewing conditions are desired to be used for a certain stitch pattern, the sewing condition stored in the non-volatile memory can be used. Accordingly, as there is no need to set the sewing conditions for the previously used certain stitch pattern again, sewing condition setting will be greatly facilitated and sewing operability will be greatly improved.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may include a reset device that allows the stitch formation mechanism to form the stitch pattern according to a sewing condition default value. Further, the reset device may include a sewing condition default value storage device that stores the sewing condition default value. According to the sewing machine structured as described above, even after changing the sewing condition using the sewing condition setting device, it is possible to quickly reset the sewing condition using the sewing condition default value.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may include a display including a touch key panel thereon, the sewing condition setting device includes a setting key for setting the sewing condition on the touch key panel, the writing device includes a writing key, on the touch key panel, for instructing writing the stitch condition into the non-volatile memory. Further the writing key may be disposed near the setting key on the touch key panel. According to the sewing machine structured as described above, as setting the sewing condition and instructing writing the stitch condition into the nonvolatile memory can be performed using the touch key panel, the operability of the sewing machine can be greatly improved. In addition, in case where the writing key is disposed near the
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nerbun Peter
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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