Patents by Inventor Noriko Kawabe

Noriko Kawabe 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).

  • Patent number: 7874752
    Abstract: It is intended to provide a printer which can prevent dust from entering and adhering to a printing medium, thereby avoiding entry of the dust to or near a print head, and can improve print quality. A first cover covers a first paper projection port through which paper as the printing medium is projected when the paper is inside a housing. This can prevent the entry of the dust through the first paper projection port to the housing. Furthermore, the first cover swings about a first engagement portion by pressure of a front end of the paper to cover the paper when the paper is projected through the first paper projection port in the forward feeding motion by the feeding device such as a paper feeding roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Kawabe, Hakudai Kondo, Shinji Kobayashi, Susumu Murata, Masato Kato, Atsushi Kasugai
  • Patent number: 7841283
    Abstract: In the disclosed sewing machine, when a needle threading switch is operated when sewing operation is stopped, a needle bar drive mechanism is activated, a needle threading hook is moved forward to a threading position, and a thread take-up is lowered by predetermined distance by driving a sewing machine motor in reverse rotation after threading a hook portion with a needle thread. Thus, a thread engaging portion of a check spring absorbs loss of required thread amount at the thread take-up and moves from a spring force operable position to a spring force inoperable position. Thus, the needle threading hook retracts to a loop cancel position and the needle thread reliably threads the sewing needle with secure engagement with the needle threading hook when a needle thread end is pulled off from a first thread retaining portion since needle thread is stabilized by absence of needle thread tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kawaguchi, Yasukazu Noguchi, Noriko Kawabe
  • Patent number: 7559616
    Abstract: A printer for printing a pattern, design, etc. on fabric comprises a vertical driving unit and a fabric thickness detecting mechanism. The vertical driving unit moves a printing unit including a print head in the vertical direction to let the print head move toward and away from the fabric held by a fabric holding frame. The fabric thickness detecting mechanism includes an idle roller which is attached to the printing unit to be on the preceding side of the printing unit in the printing direction of the print head to rotate freely while contacting the print surface of the fabric. The fabric thickness detecting mechanism detects the height of the print surface of the fabric based on the position of the idle roller. The vertical driving unit is controlled to drive the printing unit vertically according to the height of the print surface detected by the fabric thickness detecting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masakazu Kuki, Yasuhiko Kawaguchi, Noriko Kawabe
  • Patent number: 7561939
    Abstract: There is provided a data processing device, which includes a data providing unit that provides print data and embroidery data to be subjected to printing and embroidering, respectively. A print region of the print data and an embroidery region of the embroidery data have a predetermined positional relationship. The data processing device further includes a data correction unit that corrects at least one of the embroidery data and the print data so that the predetermined positional relationship between the embroidery region defined in the embroidery data and the print region defined in the print data is maintained on fabric after the embroidering in accordance with the embroidery data and the printing in accordance with the print data are performed on the fabric, considering shrinkage of the fabric caused by the embroidering in accordance with the embroidery data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Kawabe, Haruna Kato, Motoshi Kishi
  • Patent number: 7359760
    Abstract: A data processing device processes embroidery data for a sewing machine capable of embroidering and print data for a printer that prints a pattern on at least a portion of an embroidery formed by the sewing machine. The data processing device includes an embroidery data generating unit for generating region data defining a plurality of embroidery regions based on color image data and the embroidery data defining embroidery patterns respectively applied to the plurality of embroidery regions, a color designating unit for designating a thread color from a plurality of thread colors contained in the embroidery data in order to designate a print-target embroidery region from among the plurality of embroidery regions, and a print data generating unit that generates print data representing an image applied to the print-target embroidery region based on at least part of image data corresponding to the designated print-target embroidery region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motoshi Kishi, Masaki Shimizu, Noriko Kawabe
  • Publication number: 20070209564
    Abstract: In the disclosed sewing machine, when a needle threading switch is operated when sewing operation is stopped, a needle bar drive mechanism is activated, a needle threading hook is moved forward to a threading position, and a thread take-up is lowered by predetermined distance by driving a sewing machine motor in reverse rotation after threading a hook portion with a needle thread. Thus, a thread engaging portion of a check spring absorbs loss of required thread amount at the thread take-up and moves from a spring force operable position to a spring force inoperable position. Thus, the needle threading hook retracts to a loop cancel position and the needle thread reliably threads the sewing needle with secure engagement with the needle threading hook when a needle thread end is pulled off from a first thread retaining portion since needle thread is stabilized by absence of needle thread tension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kawaguchi, Yasukazu Noguchi, Noriko Kawabe
  • Publication number: 20070059087
    Abstract: It is intended to provide a printer which can prevent dust from entering and adhering to a printing medium, thereby avoiding entry of the dust to or near a print head, and can improve print quality. A first cover covers a first paper projection port through which paper as the printing medium is projected when the paper is inside a housing. This can prevent the entry of the dust through the first paper projection port to the housing. Furthermore, the first cover swings about a first engagement portion by pressure of a front end of the paper to cover the paper when the paper is projected through the first paper projection port in the forward feeding motion by the feeding device such as a paper feeding roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noriko Kawabe, Hakudai Kondo, Shinji Kobayashi, Susumu Murata, Masato Kato, Atsushi Kasugai
  • Publication number: 20060192798
    Abstract: A printer for printing a pattern, design, etc. on fabric comprises a vertical driving unit and a fabric thickness detecting mechanism. The vertical driving unit moves a printing unit including a print head in the vertical direction to let the print head move toward and away from the fabric held by a fabric holding frame. The fabric thickness detecting mechanism includes an idle roller which is attached to the printing unit to be on the preceding side of the printing unit in the printing direction of the print head to rotate freely while contacting the print surface of the fabric. The fabric thickness detecting mechanism detects the height of the print surface of the fabric based on the position of the idle roller. The vertical driving unit is controlled to drive the printing unit vertically according to the height of the print surface detected by the fabric thickness detecting mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Publication date: August 31, 2006
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masakazu Kuki, Yasuhiko Kawaguchi, Noriko Kawabe
  • Publication number: 20060162634
    Abstract: A data processing device processes embroidery data for a sewing machine capable of embroidering and print data for a printer that prints a pattern on at least a portion of an embroidery formed by the sewing machine. The data processing device includes an embroidery data generating unit for generating region data defining a plurality of embroidery regions based on color image data and the embroidery data defining embroidery patterns respectively applied to the plurality of embroidery regions, a color designating unit for designating a thread color from a plurality of thread colors contained in the embroidery data in order to designate a print-target embroidery region from among the plurality of embroidery regions, and a print data generating unit that generates print data representing an image applied to the print-target embroidery region based on at least part of image data corresponding to the designated print-target embroidery region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Motoshi Kishi, Masaki Shimizu, Noriko Kawabe
  • Publication number: 20060137582
    Abstract: There is provided a data processing device, which includes a data providing unit that provides print data and embroidery data to be subjected to printing and embroidering, respectively. A print region of the print data and an embroidery region of the embroidery data have a predetermined positional relationship. The data processing device further includes a data correction unit that corrects at least one of the embroidery data and the print data so that the predetermined positional relationship between the embroidery region defined in the embroidery data and the print region defined in the print data is maintained on fabric after the embroidering in accordance with the embroidery data and the printing in accordance with the print data are performed on the fabric, considering shrinkage of the fabric caused by the embroidering in accordance with the embroidery data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Kawabe, Haruna Kato, Motoshi Kishi