Sewing – Special machines – Embroidering
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-23
2001-10-09
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3765)
Sewing
Special machines
Embroidering
C112S239000, C112S275000, C112S475190, C700S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298799
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a sewing machine capable of tracing an embroidery area on a cloth held by an embroidery frame.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is an embroidery machine having an embroidery frame which holds a workcloth to embroider a pattern thereon within the embroidery frame. The size of a sewing area varies depending on the embroidery frame to be used or the embroidery pattern to be sewn. Before actual embroidering using a needle, the operator checks whether embroidering is possible by observing whether an embroidery area the operator wants is within the embroidery frame. To check the embroidery area, a trace mode is widely used in which a relative distance between the embroidery frame and the needle is checked by moving the embroidery frame holding the work cloth along the embroidery area, because the machine head does not move. In the trace mode, to prevent the presser foot and the needle from hitting the embroidery frame during actual embroidering, the trace operation is usually performed with the presser foot and the needle at their highest positions.
In a conventional trace mode, an embroidery area checking method is proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 9-137365. In the embroidery area checking method, a trace speed is controlled by a program that enables the trace speed to change based on the positional relationship between outline data for an embroidery area including an embroidery pattern and an embroidery frame.
However, in the above-mentioned embroidery machine, the embroidery frame can be moved with a variable speed or stopped during a trace operation, but the trace operation is made with the needle and the presser foot raised. When the embroidery frame is positioned too close to the outline of the embroidery area, to check whether the needle or the presser foot will hit the embroidery frame during actual embroidering, the operator has to lower a presser foot lever mounted on the side of the machine head manually so as to lower the presser foot. Moving the presser foot lever prevents needle marks on a work cloth that might occur if the needle were lowered. In this case, for an embroidery machine with multiple heads, each head having multiple needles, it is difficult for the operator to stretch out his/her arm to the presser foot lever mounted on the side of the head so as to lower the presser foot according to the position of the selected needle. As a result, the checking operation is not performed easily in the trace mode to check whether the embroidery pattern can be sewn in the right place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a sewing machine that enables easy checking of an embroidery pattern with tracing of an embroidery area.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, a sewing machine capable of tracing an embroidery area that includes an embroidery pattern before embroidering onto a cloth held by an embroidery frame, by moving a needle and a presser foot, which are away from the cloth, relative to the embroidery frame along an outline of the embroidery area, while stopping at one or more stop points may include an actuator that lowers the presser foot and a lowering device that controls the actuator to lower the presser foot at the one or more stop points during a trace operation.
Usually the trace operation is performed by relatively moving the needle and the presser foot, the needle and presser foot withdrawn from the cloth, along the outline of the embroidery area, to make sure that the needle and the presser foot do not hit the embroidery frame before actual embroidering. If it is difficult to check whether embroidering is possible before actual embroidering, because the outline of the embroidery area is too close to the embroidery frame, the lowering device lowers the presser foot independently of the needle during a pause of the trace operation, so the operator can check the positional relationship between the presser foot and the embroidery frame. This eliminates needle marks on the cloth and the operator having to lower the presser foot manually. This also allows the easy checking of an embroidering area for an embroidery machine with multiple heads.
In another preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may further include a measuring device that measures time elapsing while the presser foot is lowered at the one or more stop points, wherein the needle and the presser foot are relatively moved to a next stop point when the time measured by the measuring device has reached a predetermined time.
Therefore, when the needle and the presser foot relatively move to the stop point, the lowering device lowers the presser foot and the measuring device starts to measure the time elapsing while the presser foot is lowered at the stop point. After the time measured by the measuring device has reached the predetermined time, the needle and the presser foot relatively move to a next stop point.
When the outline of the embroidery area is too close to the embroidery frame, it is necessary to check whether embroidering is possible by checking the in-depth positional relationship among the needle, the presser foot and the embroidery frame. In this case, if a point to check the positional relationship is selected as required, relative movement is suspended at the point during the trace operation, so that only the presser foot can be lowered, independently of the needle, for a predetermined time. The point selection can be made in advance or during the trace operation. This allows easy checking of the embroidering area.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may further include a point selecting device that selects at least one of the one or more stop points as a lowering point where the presser foot is lowered.
Accordingly, a stop point can be selected as a point where the presser foot is lowered. The presser foot can be lowered only at a point requiring detailed checking. This improves the efficiency of the embroidery area checking.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the point selecting device selects the at least one of the one or more stop points as the lowering point during the trace operation.
Thus, it is possible to select whether the presser foot is lowered at the next stop point while the needle and the presser foot relatively move from the start of the embroidery area checking. This improves the efficiency of the trace operation.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the sewing machine may include a memory; a setting device, that stores, in the memory, the one or more stop points and one or more lowering points where the presser foot is lowered; and a measuring device that measures time elapsing while the presser foot is lowered at the one or more lowering points, wherein the needle and the presser foot relatively move with stops at the one or more stop points based on settings in the memory, where the presser foot is lowered by the lowering device at the one or more lowering points based on the settings in the memory, and the needle and the presser foot relatively move to a next stop point when the time measured by the measuring device has reached a predetermined time.
Therefore, the stop points and the points where the presser foot is lowered can be set in the memory in advance. The trace operation can be automatically executed based on the setting in the memory. Accordingly, the embroidery area can be checked without the need to set the stop points and the point where the presser foot is lowered during the trace operation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5648908 (1997-07-01), Chirn et al.
patent: 5899157 (1999-05-01), Kurono et al.
patent: 6032594 (2000-03-01), Komuro
patent: 9-137365 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 10-263236 (1998-10-01), None
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nerbun Peter
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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