Patents by Inventor Kiyokazu Sekine

Kiyokazu Sekine has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20180111282
    Abstract: A cut data generating apparatus for generating cut data for allowing a cutting apparatus including a cutting mechanism to cut a pattern out of a target workpiece includes a controller, the controller being configured to control the cut data generating apparatus to: identify an outline of the pattern; form a first cutting line that has a jagged shape swinging with a predetermined swinging amount in a direction intersecting with the outline, along the outline; and generate the cut data for cutting along the first cutting line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Yoko YAMANASHI, Kiyokazu SEKINE
  • Patent number: 9303345
    Abstract: A cutting needle rotation device includes a mounting portion, a first member, a moving member, and a rotation mechanism. The mounting portion is removably mounted on a needle bar of a sewing machine. The first member is a member to which a cutting needle is affixed. The moving member is positioned in a first position when the moving member does not receive an external force and moves to a second position when the moving member receives an external force. The rotation mechanism, when the moving member is in the first position, holds the first member such that the cutting needle does not rotate, and when the moving member moves from the first position to the second position and returns from the second position to the first position, rotates the first member such that the cutting needle rotates by a specified angle of rotation in one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhisa Hasegawa, Midori Magara, Kiyokazu Sekine, Harumi Kato
  • Patent number: 8978566
    Abstract: A sewing machine may comprise a needle bar driving mechanism, a cutting needle rotation mechanism, and an embroidery frame movement mechanism configured to move an embroidery frame comprising a protruding portion. A cam member may be fixed to the needle bar and comprise a plurality of cams. A processor of the sewing machine may set a height of the needle bar to a specific position from a plurality of positions. Each of the plurality of positions may represent that each of the plurality of cams is able to contact with the protruding portion. The processor may instruct the needle bar driving mechanism to move the needle bar to the specific position and instruct the embroidery frame movement mechanism to move the embroidery frame to a position where the protruding portion is able to contact with one of the plurality of cams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuhisa Hasegawa, Midori Magara, Kiyokazu Sekine, Harumi Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20140290550
    Abstract: A sewing machine may comprise a needle bar driving mechanism, a cutting needle rotation mechanism, and an embroidery frame movement mechanism configured to move an embroidery frame comprising a protruding portion. A cam member may be fixed to the needle bar and comprise a plurality of cams. A processor of the sewing machine may set a height of the needle bar to a specific position from a plurality of positions. Each of the plurality of positions may represent that each of the plurality of cams is able to contact with the protruding portion. The processor may instruct the needle bar driving mechanism to move the needle bar to the specific position and instruct the embroidery frame movement mechanism to move the embroidery frame to a position where the protruding portion is able to contact with one of the plurality of cams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhisa HASEGAWA, Midori MAGARA, Kiyokazu SEKINE, Harumi KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20140290547
    Abstract: A cutting needle rotation device includes a mounting portion, a first member, a moving member, and a rotation mechanism. The mounting portion is removably mounted on a needle bar of a sewing machine. The first member is a member to which a cutting needle is affixed. The moving member is positioned in a first position when the moving member does not receive an external force and moves to a second position when the moving member receives an external force. The rotation mechanism, when the moving member is in the first position, holds the first member such that the cutting needle does not rotate, and when the moving member moves from the first position to the second position and returns from the second position to the first position, rotates the first member such that the cutting needle rotates by a specified angle of rotation in one direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhisa HASEGAWA, Midori MAGARA, Kiyokazu SEKINE, Harumi KATO
  • Patent number: 8813664
    Abstract: A controller is disclosed that is communicably connected to a plurality of sewing machines and that includes a display device displaying at least information pertaining to a sewing operation. The controller includes a display controller provided with a queue allocated to each of the plurality of sewing machines and displaying sew pattern data stored in each of the queues to the display device such that the sew pattern data is organized by the sewing machine associated therewith; a specifier specifying one or more sew pattern data from a source queue associated with one of the sewing machines displayed on the display device; a data modifier transferring or copying the one or more sew pattern data specified by the specifier to the destination queue associated with another sewing machine and a data transmitter transmitting the sew pattern data stored in the modified queues to the sewing machines associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Sekine
  • Patent number: 8504187
    Abstract: An embroidery data creation apparatus includes an outline data acquisition portion, a thread density data acquisition portion, a needle drop point setting portion that sets a plurality of first needle drop points, a plurality of second needle drop points, and a sewing order to alternately connect the plurality of first needle drop points and the plurality of second needle drop points using the stitches, a needle drop point change portion that, in a case where one of a value of a length ratio and a length difference is equal to or more than a specified threshold value, changes positions of some of the plurality of second needle drop points, respectively, to positions each of which will be covered by a stitch formed by connecting a first stitch end point and a second stitch end point, and an embroidery data creation portion that creates embroidery data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Sekine
  • Publication number: 20120111249
    Abstract: An embroidery data creation apparatus includes an outline data acquisition portion, a thread density data acquisition portion, a needle drop point setting portion that sets a plurality of first needle drop points, a plurality of second needle drop points, and a sewing order to alternately connect the plurality of first needle drop points and the plurality of second needle drop points using the stitches, a needle drop point change portion that, in a case where one of a value of a length ratio and a length difference is equal to or more than a specified threshold value, changes positions of some of the plurality of second needle drop points, respectively, to positions each of which will be covered by a stitch formed by connecting a first stitch end point and a second stitch end point, and an embroidery data creation portion that creates embroidery data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kiyokazu SEKINE
  • Publication number: 20110120359
    Abstract: A controller is disclosed that is communicably connected to a plurality of sewing machines and that includes a display device displaying at least information pertaining to a sewing operation. The controller includes a display controller provided with a queue allocated to each of the plurality of sewing machines and displaying sew pattern data stored in each of the queues to the display device such that the sew pattern data is organized by the sewing machine associated therewith; a specifier specifying one or more sew pattern data from a source queue associated with one of the sewing machines displayed on the display device; a data modifier transferring or copying the One or more sew pattern data specified by the specifier to the destination queue associated with another sewing machine and a data transmitter transmitting the sew pattern data stored in the modified queues to the sewing machines associated therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kiyokazu SEKINE
  • Patent number: 6289831
    Abstract: A sewing machine capable of tracing an embroidery area by relatively moving a needle bar as a sewing device and an embroidery frame which holds a work cloth on which an embroidery pattern is embroidered based on embroidery data, comprises a calculating device that calculates a convex polygon in multiples of eight covering the pattern inside from the embroidery data, and positions of a plurality of vertexes comprised of the convex polygon, and a trace device that traces the embroidery area based on the vertexes found by the calculating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Hanai, Kiyokazu Sekine, Fumiaki Asano
  • Patent number: 6173665
    Abstract: In an embroidery sewing machine, a value setting screen on a display indicates parametrical items about the movement of an embroidering frame, i.e., “sewable area” and “stand-by position”, as well as parametrical items about the sewing operation, i.e., “thread-breakage sensitivity” and “number of stitch-back stitches”. An operator enters or designates optimum values for those parametrical items by operating numerical keys and cursor moving keys on a keyboard, and registers a name to be assigned to a set of values for those parametrical items. The set of values for those parametrical items are stored in a floppy disk in relation to the registered name. By simply designating one of the registered names correspondingly to a material to be sewn, the optimum values for the parametrical items are retrieved simultaneously and set for the sewing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Sekine
  • Patent number: 6012402
    Abstract: Provided is an embroidery sewing machine for forming an embroidery pattern in accordance with embroidery data. The embroidery data includes position data indicative of a portion of a working fabric on which the embroidery pattern is to be formed, and color change data indicative of change of needle bars of the sewing machine. The sewing machine is provided with a thread color assigning system which assigns a thread collor to each of the needle bars, an order assigning system which assigns order of the needle bars to be used, a display device which displays the embroidery pattern based on the embroidery data and the order of the needle bars to be used change by the order changing system, and a sewing system which forms the embroidery pattern based on the embroidery data and the order of the needle bars to be used changed by the order changing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Sekine
  • Patent number: 5983817
    Abstract: A control system for a sewing machine, which is operable in a simulation manner as if the control system is connected to the sewing machine. When a sewing-machine control system starts a main control process, a status of its connection to a sewing machine is detected. If the connection is established, a connection flag is set. If it is not established, a connection flag is reset. A display device displays a menu select screen having a list of items, and a desired item is selected from the list. When the selected item is "Sewing process", the sewing-machine control device operates in the following manner. If the sewing-machine control device is not connected to the embroidering sewing machine, a virtual sewing-machine control program is executed to set "in-sewing" data for the pseudo status information, "0" as the initial value for a pseudo number-of-stitches; and "1800" for a pseudo rotation speed signal. The display device displays a pseudo sewing screen, constructed with those items of information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Sekine
  • Patent number: 5954005
    Abstract: A pattern sewing system having at least one pattern sewing machine which has a plurality of sewing heads, an operation status setting device which is electrically connected to the at least one pattern sewing machine, the operation status setting device setting operation status of each of the plurality of sewing heads such that each of the plurality of sewing heads is operative or inoperative, and a controlling device which makes the operation status set by the operation status setting device effective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Brother kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyokazu Sekine, Fumiaki Asano
  • Patent number: 5357442
    Abstract: A sewing data processing apparatus including a storing device storing stitch data indicative of stitch positions adapted to be penetrated by a sewing needle, a producing device producing data indicative of a defining line, and a modifying device modifying the stitch data such that at least a portion of the stitch positions are located on the defining line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1994
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyokazu Sekine
  • Patent number: 5191536
    Abstract: An apparatus for preparing stitch position-related data utilized by an embroidery sewing machine for embroidering a predetermined area by forming stitches at respective stitch positions and filling the area with the formed stitches, including a dividing device for dividing the area into a plurality of sub-areas based on outline data representative of an outline of the area, the outline data including sets of position data each of which is representative of a corresponding one of a plurality of specific positions specified on the outline, and a data producing device for producing sets of sub-area data each of which is representative of an outline of a corresponding one of the sub-areas and determining, based on the sets of sub-area data, an order of embroidering of the sub-areas such that, when the embroidery sewing machine forms stitches with a continuous thread and fills each of the sub-areas by the formed stitches, by utilizing the sets of sub-area data and the order of embroidery of the sub-areas, the cont
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kyoji Komuro, Masaaki Yokoe, Narihiro Matsushita, Kiyokazu Sekine, Atsuya Hayakawa, Fumiaki Asano, Hideaki Shimizu