Sewing machine system

• US 6,000,351 A
• Filed: 05/29/1998
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Shinii, Hara, Yoshihiro, Yamaguchi, Minoru, Inoue, Kazushi
• Primary Examiner(s): NERBUN, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US09/087,110
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 112/102.5, 112/470.06, 112/470.04, 112/445, 112/456, 112/458, 112/457, 112/475.19, 364/470.09
• US Class Current: 112/470.04
• CPC Class Codes: D05B 19/085 Physical layout of switches or displays; Switches co-operating with the display

Abstract

A sewing machine system provided with an electronically controlled sewing machine and a programmer, which is electronically connected to the sewing machine, for creating a sewing data in cooperation with the sewing machine. A selecting switch is provided and, when sewing data is being created, a user can switch a display condition of a displaying device of the programmer between a first mode for displaying numerical data related to currently created sewing data, and a second mode for displaying an image of the pattern in accordance with the sewing data which is being created.

Claims

1. A sewing machine system, comprising:

an electronically controlled sewing machine;

a programmer which is electronically connected to said sewing machine, said sewing machine being capable of performing an automatic sewing operation in accordance with sewing data, said programmer being capable of creating sewing data by inputting positional data in cooperation with said sewing machine,

said programmer comprising;

a display device for visually displaying data; and

an image data generating device that generates image data based on said sewing data being created by said programmer, and

said programmer operating in either one of a confirmation mode and a data input mode, said display device displaying numerical data related to input positional data when said programmer is operating in said data input mode, and said display device displaying an image of a pattern representing sewing data, which is being created, in accordance with said image data generated by said image data generating device when said programmer operates in said confirmation mode.

2. The sewing machine system according to claim 1, wherein said programmer further comprising a controller which prohibits data input when said programmer operates in said confirmation mode.

3. The sewing machine system according to claim 1, wherein said display device displays alphanumerical information related to said image of said pattern together with said image of said pattern when said programmer operates in said confirmation mode.

4. The sewing machine system according to claim 3, wherein said alphanumerical information includes an actual size of said pattern.

5. A sewing machine system comprising an electronically controlled sewing machine and a programmer electronically connected to said sewing machine, said sewing machine being capable of performing an automatic sewing operation in accordance with sewing data, said programmer being capable of creating sewing data in cooperation with said sewing machine, said programmer comprising:

a display device for visually displaying data;

an image data generating device that generates image data based on said sewing data being created by said programmer;

a selecting device which is manually operated to select one of a first mode and a second mode;

a display control device that controls said display device to display numerical data related to currently created sewing data when said first mode is selected by said selecting device, and to display an image of a pattern corresponding to said currently created sewing data in accordance with said image data generated by said image data generating device.

6. The sewing machine system according to claim 5, wherein said display control device controls said display to display alphanumerical information related to said pattern together with said image of said pattern when said second mode is selected.

7. The sewing machine system according to claim 6, wherein said alphanumerical information includes an actual size of said pattern when it is formed by said electronically controlled sewing machine.

8. The sewing machine system according to claim 5, further comprising a controller which prohibits creation of said sewing data when said second mode is selected and said image of said pattern is being displayed.

9. The sewing machine system according to claim 5, wherein said programmer further comprising:

a positional data input device that inputs positional data representing a plurality of points located on a pattern to be formed; and

an interpolating device that interpolates positional data of intermediate points between said plurality of points located on said pattern to be formed.

10. A programmer which is connected to an electrically controlled sewing machine, said sewing machine being capable of performing an automatic sewing operation in accordance with sewing data, said programmer being capable of creating sewing data by inputting positional data in cooperation with said sewing machine, said programmer comprising:

a display device for visually displaying data; and

an image data generating device that generates image data based on said sewing data being created by said programmer, and

said programmer operating in either one of a confirmation mode and a data input mode, said display device displaying a numerical data related to input positional data when said programmer operates in said data input mode, and said display device displaying an image of a pattern representing a sewing data, which is being created, in accordance with said image data generated by said image data generating device when said programmer operates in said confirmation mode.

11. A method of displaying sewing data employed in a sewing machine system including an electronically controlled sewing machine and a programmer, said sewing machine being capable of performing an automatic sewing operation in accordance with sewing data, said programmer being capable of creating sewing data by inputting a positional data in cooperation with said sewing machine, said programmer having a displaying device, said method comprising the steps of:

creating sewing data;

optionally switching a display mode of said displaying device between a first mode and a second mode when the sewing data is created;

displaying alphanumerical characters on said displaying device when said first mode is selected; and

generating an image data representing a pattern image in accordance with a sewing data currently created and displaying the pattern image on said displaying device when said second mode is selected.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of displaying alphanumerical information related to said pattern together with said pattern image when said second mode is selected.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of prohibiting creation of the sewing data when said second mode is selected.

14. A computer accessible memory for storing a program to be executed by a computer, said program contains a method for displaying sewing data employed in a sewing machine system including an electronically controlled sewing machine and a programmer, said sewing machine being capable of performing an automatic sewing operation in accordance with a sewing data, said programmer being capable of creating sewing data by inputting positional data in cooperation with said sewing machine, said programmer having a displaying device, said method comprising the steps of:

creating sewing data;

optionally switching a display mode of said displaying device between a first mode and a second mode when the sewing data is allowed to be created;

displaying alphanumerical characters on said displaying device when said first mode is selected; and

generating image data representing a pattern image in accordance with sewing data currently created and displaying the pattern image on said displaying device when said second mode is selected.