Abstract: Computerized methods and software for creating customized embroidery. Embodiments include capturing a drawing from a user in a browser window as captured vectors, receiving the captured vectors and desired stitching parameters at an embroidery engine on a server, and creating a planned pattern of stitches from the captured vectors and the desired stitching parameters. Some embodiments include returning a rendering of the planned pattern of stitches to the browser or returning rendering vectors to the browser for drawing the planned pattern of stitches in the browser for inspection by the user. The drawing can include a freehand drawing, handwriting, or a signature, drawn or written by the user in the browser window. The desired stitching parameters can include angle, width, underlay type, density, or pull compensation of the stitches. In some embodiments, width varies along a vector path, for instance, based on pressure applied by the user while drawing.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a method of applying a stippling stitch design to an area defining an asymmetrical polygon in a coordinate planar display format, involving: defining a pathway, which may be based on a fractal design, within a geometrically symmetrical boundary, the pathway comprising a single non-intersecting line; conforming the pathway to an asymmetrical polygon area substantially disposed within the geometrically symmetrical boundary; deriving a plurality of coordinate points representative of the pathway; and passing the points to a data storage medium in a pre-determined embroidery data format.

Abstract: An embroidery system having an embroidery machine for automatically stitching embroidery stitch patterns on a garment and a machine controller for selectably controlling the operation of the embroidery machine in response to user provided selections, the improvement involves the use of a Windows CE based graphical user interface, such as a PDA, which is located between the user and the machine controller to provide user selections through the graphical user interface for directing the machine controller. The embroidery system has an associated embroidery functionality and the graphical user interface has a defined system architecture which may selectably enhance the embroidery system functionality by selectably adding software modules to the graphical user interface, such as to control the creation of embroidery lettering, to provide maintenance monitoring either locally or over the Internet, or to enable communication with the embroidery machine over a network.

Abstract: A web based embroidery system capable of creating an automatically fulfilling a user customized embroidery order for a selectable garment over the internet. The system includes the ability to select the garment to be customized over the internet, to selectably locate an embroidery area on that garment, to select a customized embroidery pattern over the internet to be located in the user selected embroidery area, the ability to display an embroided simulation of the user located customized embroidery pattern on the selected garment, and the ability to provide embroidery pattern controlled signals over the internet to a remotely located embroidery machine for automatically stitching the user located customized embroidery pattern on an actual garment corresponding to the selected garment based on the displayed embroided simulation, which maybe a three dimensional simulation. In addition, customized embroidery lettering can be created and may be combined with a preexisting embroidery pattern.

Abstract: A method for generating a continuously stitched regional carved fill composite embroidery stitch pattern, in which the composite stitch pattern comprises one or more carved fill stitch patterns disposed in a defined fill region in a background region which comprises a background embroidery stitch pattern, includes the steps of detecting regions of overlap in the composite embroidery stitch pattern between the background stitch pattern and the carved fill stitch pattern, and selectively stitching the composite embroidery stitch pattern by filling the areas of overlap solely with the carved fill stitch pattern wherever the overlap is detected and filling the areas of no such overlap in the composite embroidery stitch pattern solely with the background stitch pattern wherever the overlap is not detected during the continuous stitching of the composite embroidery stitch pattern.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved method for automatically generating chenille filled embroidery stitch patterns and/or claim stitching in a computer aided design system in which the shape to be filled is a complex polygon. Concentric polygons are constructed, such as either by using the medial axis of the polygon or by constructing offset elements and joining arcs without use of the medial axis, and sorted, and spirals are placed along the polygons with stitches being placed along the spirals. For chain stitching, rather than placing spirals, the chain stitches are placed on the perimeter of the concentric polygons.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved method for automatically generating chain stitching in a computer aided design system in which the shape to be filled is a complex polygon. The Voronoi Diagram of the polygon is determined, concentric polygons are then constructed and sorted and the chain stitches are placed on the perimeter of the concentric polygons. The chain stitches can be used to completely fill a stitch pattern, such as an embroidery stitch pattern, or in conjunction with other stitching, such as Chenille stitching in an embroidery pattern.

Abstract: An improved method for automatically generating chenille filled embroidery stitch patterns and/or chain stitching in a computer aided design system in which the shape to be filled is a complex polygon. A spine of a medial axis of the Voronoi Diagram of the polygon is determined, modified concentric polygons are then constructed by clipping the edges of the concentric polygons that are within a clip width of the spine, the modified concentric polygons are then sorted and spirals are placed along the modified polygons with stitches being placed along the spirals, with the occurrence of any bald spots in the shape being filled being minimized. For chain stitching, rather than placing spirals, the chain stitches are placed on the perimeter of the concentric polygons.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved method for automatically generating chain stitching in a computer aided design system in which the shape to be filled is a complex polygon. The medial axis of the polygon is determined, concentric polygons are then constructed and sorted and the chain stitches are placed on the perimeter of the concentric polygons. The chain stitches can be used to completely fill a stitch pattern, such as an embroidery stitch pattern, or in conjunction with other stitching, such as chenille stitching in an embroidery pattern.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved method for automatically generating chenille filled embroidery stitch patterns and/or chain stitching in a computer aided design system in which the shape to be filled is a complex polygon. The medial axis of the polygon is determined, concentric polygons are then constructed and sorted and spirals are placed along the polygons with stitches being placed along the spirals. For chain stitching, rather than placing spirals, the chain stitches are placed on the perimeter of the concentric polygons.

Abstract: A method for creating a self-generating embroidery design pattern, which may be provided alone or merged with an existing pattern comprising the steps of defining a predetermined fractal shape having an associated axiom and production rules; parsing the axiom and production rules associated with the defined fractal shape and performing the production rules a selectable predetermined number of times for providing a plurality of stitch or outline points in accordance with a desired finished embroidery design pattern size, the stitch points being in either an outline data format or a stitch data format; converting the outline data format into a stitch data format; and translating the stitch data format into a predetermined embroidery language machine code for controlling an associated embroidery machine responsive to the predetermined embroidery language machine code.

Abstract: An interactive system and method for creating and modifying embroidery designs is disclosed. The system provides a user with numerous functions for interactively creating and modifying embroidery designs, and generating the necessary stitch commands for recreating the embroidery design on an embroidery stitching machine. The system is preferably operative on an IBM PC. The system is menu-based, and may be used for modifying embroidery designs in either outline-format or stitch-format. Once a design has been entered, the user may utilize predetermined functions to quickly alter a design and visualize the resulting design. The system further provides a method for modifying embroidery designs in an outline format into bridge type lettering.