Abstract: A method for embroidering includes receiving a digitized representation of an image, determining grain structures for a plurality of locations in the digitized representation, the plurality of locations including a first location and a second location, embroidering a representation of the first location using cross stitch patterns, when a grain structure for the first location indicates a bi-directional grain structure, and embroidering a representation of the first location using uni-directional stitch patterns, when the grain structure for the first location indicates a uni-directional grain structure.

Abstract: The embroidery machine includes: 1) a function-setting unit (110) having a current-operation data storing key for storing current-operation data and an operation data retrieval key for retrieving stored previous-operation data; 2) an operation data storage unit (120) for storing data with respect to the current operation in response to a signal generated by the selection of the operation-data storing key at the function-setting unit (110); and 3) a control unit (130) for controlling storage of the current-operation data in the operation data storage unit (120), checking whether there exist an operation stored in the operation data storage unit (120) if the operation data retrieval key is selected at the function-setting unit (110), and controlling the performance of the corresponding embroidery operation as a result of the check.

Abstract: A sewing machine includes a plurality of needle bars. One of the needle bars can be selected and reciprocally driven so as to stitch a desired embroidery pattern. The sewing machine has a common setting mode and an individual setting mode, which permits various operating conditions to be either commonly set for all the needle bars or individually set for one or more of the needle bars. If the common setting mode has been selected, the same operating conditions can be commonly set for all the needle bars. If the individual setting mode has been selected, the operating conditions can be set individually for each needle bar.

Abstract: A patterned cloth is made by which a pattern is formed on a surface of a work cloth by passing a thread through the work cloth a number of times and forming a plurality of free loops on the reverse side of the work cloth. A double-sided adhesive tape is provided to fix the free loops on the reverse side of the work cloth. The work cloth has an elastic film member, the elastic film member allowing the free loops to be retained on the reverse side of the work cloth.

Abstract: A sewing machine includes a movable holder portion which holds a material to be sewn, a holder drive portion which transfers the holder portion during sewing, a needle drive portion which drives a sewing needle to sew, and a controller which intelligently regulates the holder drive portion and the needle drive portion. The controller includes a) an initial motion device which initially transfers the material to be sewn before sewing or during an initial stage of sewing, and b) an estimating device which finds the mass of the material to be sewn depending on a physical value such as at least one of a moving velocity of the material to be sewn at a predetermined period of time and a moving distance of the material within the amount of the predetermined period of time.

Abstract: In a sewing machine, a plurality of patterns are displayed on a pattern selection area of a display. Then, when one of the patterns displayed on the pattern selection area is selected, the selected pattern is displayed in a realistic manner on a pattern display area on the display. At this time, at least a part of the pattern display area is displayed while the pattern selection area is displayed. Therefore, the operator can see and grasp the pattern with a realistic image through the pattern display area while selecting the pattern.

Abstract: In a display apparatus used for a sewing machine, a liquid crystal display, LCD, shows a pattern edit screen in which a pattern is edited. The pattern edit screen has a standard display area for displaying the pattern for editing. The standard display area has a vertical long rectangular shape and is smaller than a half of the screen. When the image key is pressed on the pattern edit screen, the LCD is switched from the standard display area to a magnification display area, and the pattern is magnified and displayed thereon. The magnification display area is substantially as large as the whole of the display area of the LCD. Thus, the pattern can be displayed in greater detail. Furthermore, shading can be added to the pattern displayed. Therefore, each piece of thread can be presented, which makes the image of the formed pattern more realistic.

Abstract: A method for diagnosing a fault of a embroidery machine, includes the steps of: (a) indicating that an embroidery operation is stopped by the fault of the embroidery machine and displaying a web-browser drive guide message; (b) displaying a fault diagnosis-dedicated web-page in response to a web-browser drive signal inputted by an operator; (c) transmitting fault-related information, inputted into the fault diagnosis-dedicated web-page by the operator, from an embroidery system to a server computer system; and (d) transmitting the fault diagnosis-dedicated web-page from a server computer system to the embroidery system, diagnosing the fault of the embroidery machine by employing the fault-related information inputted into the fault diagnosis-dedicated web-page in order to generate fault diagnosis information, and transmitting the fault diagnosis information to the embroidery system.

Abstract: When a trace mode is started, a needle and a presser foot are moved relative to an embroidery frame. When a STOP key is pressed, moving is temporarily stopped, and the operator can visually check a positional relationship between the needle and the embroidery frame. When it is necessary to check the positional relationship in detail, a DOWN key is pressed and the presser foot is lowered independently of the needle, so that the operator can visually check the positional relationship between the presser foot and the embroidery frame.

Abstract: In an embroidery data display apparatus, four pattern names “A01”, “A05”, “A10” and “A17”, for example, from which an embroidery pattern actually used for embroidering may be selected, are designated from a plurality of pattern names displayed on a CRT display, and pattern display data for the designated pattern names are generated in a time-sharing manner with background processing that is effected for minute time intervals &agr; parallel with main processing. The pattern display data thus generated are successively displayed on a display upon completion of each set of data. When it is confirmed that the displayed pattern is the embroidery pattern to be actually used for embroidering, a stop key provided in a keyboard is operated to generate a stop command, which is accepted by the main processing even during generation of pattern display data, so that the pattern display data generating operations can be immediately terminated.

Abstract: A method of changing the density of an embroidery stitch group for use with an electronically controlled embroidery machine. The type of stitch is first recognized, then its points and locations and the penetration point of the inside line and the outline of the stitch is determined. Stitches in the closest relative lines are then copied, moved or removed to increase or decrease the density of the stitch group.

Abstract: A method of recognizing an embroidery outline and applying a stitch group. In the first step, the angle of rows of stitches is determined based on the coordinate sequence of the stitches. The left and right boundary points are then determined to be those stitches that exist along the ends of these rows and from the vertex of an angle change in the stitching. The lines between these left and right points are then used to determine the outline by expanding the lines into rectangles. A statistical analysis is then performed along the rectangle edges and a curve smoothing algorithm is used the render the final shape.

Abstract: In a sewing machine having a display, a data reading device reads sewing data of partial patterns which, when combined, form an entire pattern and attaching position data representing a predetermined attaching position of the work cloth holder to the moving device corresponding to each partial pattern, a display controller also displays attaching position information, representing each attaching position corresponding to each partial pattern based on the attaching position data read by the data reading device, on the display.

Abstract: In the sewing machine, a sewing device forms an embroidery pattern on a work cloth in cooperation with a moving mechanism. A display switching device switches the display between a first display mode and a second display mode. Therefore, the sewing machine can selectively display the size value representing a size of the embroidery pattern or the position value representing a position of the embroidery pattern on the work cloth using the display as desired. Further the display is necessary to secure a space for displaying both the size value and the position value at once. Accordingly, the sewing machine display can be downsized without sacrificing the convenience of the display.

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: In a sewing machine, a reading device reads embroidery or pattern data provided from outside of the apparatus and writes the read data into a memory, and a cancel device cancels the reading of the data during the reading of the data. Therefore, even if the reading of the data is mistakenly started, the reading process can be canceled when an operator notices the mistake. Thus, as the operator does not need to wait until the reading is completed, the operability and workability can be greatly improved.

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: In a sewing machine, a CPU reads a color display data of an embroidery pattern selected by a user from a ROM and generates a subtractive color data by subtracting colors included in the color display data. The CPU then writes the subtractive color data into a non-volatile storing medium, such as a flash memory. Therefore, the non-volatile storing medium can store more pattern data of the embroidery patterns, compared with the case where it stores the color display data whose data amount is large. That is, the storage capacity of the non-volatile storing medium can be smaller, so that the manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Abstract: A sewing machine that can set the sewing conditions for each stitch pattern and can store the set sewing conditions in a non-volatile memory in correspondence with each stitch pattern. The sewing conditions previously set for a certain stitch pattern can be used when the same stitch pattern is selected later.

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.

Abstract: A correction apparatus is designed to correct sewing data used on a sewing machine that forms an embroidery pattern on a cap by moving a needle bar upward and downward and a frame holding the cap in the X- and Y-axis directions. In the correction apparatus for correcting sewing data, the correction apparatus first reads sewing data as an original data, then finds the coordinates of a stitch point for each stitch from the read original data. The correction apparatus corrects the X coordinate of the stitch point based on a correction value that varies according to the Y coordinate, to create an execution data different from that in the original data. The correction value is calculated using the coordinate data of the Y-axis direction as a variable and a correction parameter that can be changed as a constant.

Abstract: A quilting apparatus is provided with a computer controlled presser plate adjusting mechanism. A presser plate rocker shaft is separate from and mechanically connected to a needle rocker shaft and imparts a reciprocating motion to the presser plate. The presser plate rocker shaft is adjustable to vary the range of its output link to the presser plate, thereby changing the endpoints of its reciprocating path of travel. Certain embodiments have an output end of the presser plate rocker shaft adjustable relative to the input end through a coupling to different angular positions relative to an input end in order to change the upper and lower ends of the range of reciprocation of the pressure plate relative to the needle plate. Alternatively, the length of a link between the needle and pressure plate rocker shafts is variable to make the presser plate adjustment.

Abstract: A method and system using a novel user display. The user interface device includes a display for an embroidery design. The display is coupled to a micro processing device such as a microprocessor, microcomputer, or the like. The display also has a representation a stitch on a first axis of the display. The display also shows a property of the stitch on a second axis of the display, where the second axis intersects the first axis. Other features can also be included depending upon the application.

Abstract: A sewing machine calculates a standard sewing speed N to the Pth stitch, and a position of the Pth stitch. When the Pth stitch point is in a first area within a work holder, the sewing speed is determined to be N rpm. In a second area, it is determined to be N-100 rpm. In a third area, it is determined to be N-200 rpm. The distance from the first area to the connecting part of a work holder driving mechanism is the shortest. The distance for the second area is the next. The distance for the third area is the longest. Therefore, the larger the damping by the movement of the work holder is, the slower the sewing speed is set to. The sewing speed for each stitch created by the stitch formation mechanism can be set as fast as possible so that the damping is substantially settled. Thus, the quality of sewing can be secured and the entire sewing speed can be increased, thereby reducing the sewing time.