Embroidery frame for use with embroidery sewing machine

• US 7,681,510 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Izaguirre; Ismael
• Application Number:
  US11/806,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20070277715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 112/103, 112/470.14, 112/475.18, 381/02, 381/022, 381/029.1, 160/378, 160/383, 160/395, 160/397, 160/398
• US Class Current: 112/103
• CPC Class Codes: D05B 39/00 Workpiece carriers for automatically controlling movement of work-carrier to obtain particular configuration of seam D05B21/00; in general A41H15/00
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 9/04 Work holders, e.g. frames

Abstract

An embroidery frame holding workpiece cloth for embroidery sewing includes a lower frame receiving a lower side of the workpiece cloth and having a cloth clamping side, an upper frame holding the workpiece cloth in cooperation with the lower frame between the frames and having a cloth holding side, a clamp mechanism pressing the upper frame against the lower frame and retaining the upper frame in a pressing state, and a hold assisting member enhancing hold of the workpiece cloth and detachably attached to the cloth holding side of at least one of the upper and lower frames.

Claims

1. An embroidery frame holding workpiece cloth for embroidery sewing, the workpiece cloth having a lower side, the embroidery frame comprising:

a lower frame receiving the lower side of the workpiece cloth and having a cloth holding side;

an upper frame holding the workpiece cloth in cooperation with the lower frame therebetween and having a cloth holding side;

a clamp mechanism having a pair of clamping members pressing the upper frame against the lower frame and retaining the upper frame in a pressing state, such that both clamping members press against a surface of the upper frame; and

a hold assisting member provided for enhancing hold of the workpiece cloth and detachably attached to the cloth holding side of at least one of the upper and lower frames.

2. The embroidery frame according to claim 1, wherein the hold assisting member includes an engaging portion for determination of an attachment position, and the lower frame has an engagement hole with which the engaging portion is engaged thereby to be held in position.

3. The embroidery frame according to claim 2, wherein the hold assisting member is selected from plural hold assisting members which are formed into a thin plate shape and have different plate thicknesses.

4. The embroidery frame according to claim 3, wherein the hold assisting member includes a thin base plate having elasticity and a holding member having a function of preventing the workpiece cloth from sliding.

5. The embroidery frame according to claim 4, wherein the holding member comprises a thin sheet-like pile including a piece of foundation cloth on which plural pieces of short fiber are transplanted.

6. The embroidery frame according to claim 5, which has a predetermined embroidery-sewable region, wherein the short fiber is formed so as to be inclined upward and so as to be directed outward from the embroidery-sewable region.

7. The embroidery frame according to claim 4, wherein the holding member comprises an abrasive grain sheet including a sheet-like base material with a surface on which fine abrasive grain is secured.

8. The embroidery frame according to claim 4, wherein the holding member comprises sheet-like urethane foam.

9. The embroidery frame according to claim 2, wherein the hold assisting member includes a thin base plate having elasticity and a holding member having a function of preventing the workpiece cloth from sliding.

10. The embroidery frame according to claim 9, wherein the holding member comprises a thin sheet-like pile including a piece of foundation cloth on which plural pieces of short fiber are transplanted.

11. The embroidery frame according to claim 10, which has a predetermined embroidery-sewable region, wherein the short fiber is formed so as to be inclined upward and so as to be directed outward from the embroidery-sewable region.

12. The embroidery frame according to claim 9, wherein the holding member comprises an abrasive grain sheet including a sheet-like base material with a surface on which fine abrasive grain is secured.

13. The embroidery frame according to claim 9, wherein the holding member comprises sheet-like urethane foam.

14. The embroidery frame according to claim 1, wherein the hold assisting member is selected from plural hold assisting members which are formed into a thin plate shape and have different plate thicknesses.

15. The embroidery frame according to claim 14, wherein the hold assisting member includes a thin base plate having elasticity and a holding member having a function of preventing the workpiece cloth from sliding.

16. The embroidery frame according to claim 15, wherein the holding member comprises a thin sheet-like pile including a piece of foundation cloth on which plural pieces of short fiber are transplanted.

17. The embroidery frame according to claim 16, which has a predetermined embroidery-sewable region, wherein the short fiber is formed so as to be inclined upward and so as to be directed outward from the embroidery-sewable region.

18. The embroidery frame according to claim 15, wherein the holding member comprises an abrasive grain sheet including a sheet-like base material with a surface on which fine abrasive grain is secured.

19. The embroidery frame according to claim 15, wherein the holding member comprises sheet-like urethane foam.

20. The embroidery frame according to claim 1, wherein the hold assisting member includes a thin base plate having elasticity and a holding member having a function of preventing the workpiece cloth from sliding.

21. The embroidery frame according to claim 20, wherein the holding member comprises a thin sheet-like pile including a piece of foundation cloth on which plural pieces of short fiber are transplanted.

22. The embroidery frame according to claim 21, which has a predetermined embroidery-sewable region, wherein the short fiber is formed so as to be inclined upward and so as to be directed outward from the embroidery-sewable region.

23. The embroidery frame according to claim 20, wherein the holding member comprises an abrasive grain sheet including a sheet-like base material with a surface on which fine abrasive grain is secured.

24. The embroidery frame according to claim 20, wherein the holding member comprises sheet-like urethane foam.

25. An embroidery frame holding workpiece cloth for embroidery sewing, the workpiece cloth having a lower side, the embroidery frame comprising:

a lower frame receiving the lower side of the workpiece cloth and having a cloth clamping side;

an upper frame holding the workpiece cloth in cooperation with the lower frame therebetween and having on a cloth holding side a holding member having a function of preventing the workpiece cloth from sliding; and

a clamp mechanism having a pair of clamping members independently pressing the upper frame against the lower frame such that each of the clamping members individually and independently press against a surface of the upper frame, thereby holding the upper frame, the clamp mechanism having an upper frame attaching/detaching mechanism to which the upper frame is detachably attached.

26. The embroidery frame according to claim 25, wherein the upper frame is selected from plural of the upper frames having the holding members made from different materials respectively, and the selected upper frame is attached to the upper frame attaching/detaching mechanism.