Patent Grant
8607720
The illustrative embodiments relate generally to embroidery positioning, and more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for positioning an embroidery pattern on an embroiderable.
Embroiderables, such as shirts, garments, and other substrates, are often embroidered with an embroidery pattern for aesthetic or functional purposes. While the locations at which an embroidery pattern may be placed on an embroiderable may vary, it is often desired to position an embroidery pattern at a specific location. For example, embroidery patterns are often placed on the right or left chest portion of a shirt. However, current embroidery systems and methods fail to consistently or accurately position embroidery patterns at specific locations of an embroiderable, such as on the right or left chest portion of a shirt. Current systems and methods may also fail to consistently or accurately position embroidery patterns over a pocket, such as a shirt pocket.
According to an illustrative embodiment, an apparatus for positioning an embroidery pattern includes a central edge adapted to be positioned adjacent a centerline of an embroiderable, and an outer edge comprising a set of first, embroidery-positioning points. The set of first points is adapted to receive an adjacent marking to indicate a starting point for embroidering an embroidery pattern on the embroiderable.
According to another illustrative embodiment, a method for positioning an embroidery pattern includes positioning a central edge of an embroidery positioning device adjacent a centerline of an embroiderable, and marking the embroiderable adjacent one of a set of first, embroidery-positioning points located at an outer edge of the embroidery positioning device. The marking indicates a starting point for embroidering an embroidery pattern on the embroiderable.
According to another illustrative embodiment, an apparatus for positioning an embroidery pattern above a pocket of an embroiderable, the pocket having an open edge, includes a pocket-faceable edge adapted to be positioned adjacent the open edge of the pocket. The pocket-faceable edge substantially centered above the pocket. The pocket-faceable edge has a midpoint. The apparatus also includes a central marking edge positioned substantially perpendicular to the pocket-faceable edge. The central marking edge is further positioned substantially at the midpoint of the pocket-faceable edge. The central marking edge is adapted to receive an adjacent marking to indicate a starting point for embroidering the embroidery pattern on the embroiderable.
According to another illustrative embodiment, a method for positioning an embroidery pattern above a pocket of an embroiderable includes centering a pocket-faceable edge of a pocket embroidery positioning device adjacent an open edge of the pocket on the embroiderable. The pocket-faceable edge has a midpoint. The method also includes marking the embroiderable adjacent a central marking edge of the pocket embroidery positioning device. The central marking edge is positioned substantially perpendicular to the pocket-faceable edge. The central marking edge is further positioned substantially at the midpoint of the pocket-faceable edge. The marking indicates a starting point for embroidering the embroidery pattern on the embroiderable.
In the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments described herein, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the illustrative embodiments are defined only by the appended claims.
Referring to
In the non-limiting example of
In one embodiment, the embroidery positioning device 100 includes a central edge 106. The central edge 106 may be positioned adjacent a centerline 108 of the embroiderable 102 when the embroidery positioning device 100 is being used to position the embroidery pattern 101. The manner by which the central edge 106 may be positioned on the embroiderable 102 may depend on the type of embroiderable 102. In the non-limiting example of
The embroidery positioning device 100 may also include a button indent 112 located at a top corner region 114 of the central edge 106. The button indent 112 may be used on shirts having one or more buttons. In the case of the shirt shown in
In another embodiment, the shirt on which the embroidery positioning device 100 is used may lack a placket. In this case, the shirt may be foldable along its centerline, and the central edge 106 may be positioned adjacent and substantially parallel to the folded centerline of the shirt. Examples of such shirts lacking a placket may include T-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.
The embroidery positioning device 100 may also include an outer edge 118 that is opposite the central edge 106. As will be described in detail below, the outer edge 118 may include one or more points or indents at various locations that allow a user to place one or more markings on the embroiderable 102 that indicate a starting point for the embroidery pattern 101 or facilitate alignment of the embroiderable 102 in an embroidery hoop or frame.
In one embodiment, the outer edge 118 includes a set of first, embroidery-positioning points 120, 121, 122, 123. As used herein, including in the claims, the term “set” encompasses a quantity of one or more. The set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may receive an adjacent marking 104 to indicate a starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on the embroiderable 102.
Each of the set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may be associated with a different embroiderable size such that the marking 104 may be placed adjacent the particular point 120, 121, 122, 123 that is associated with the size of the embroiderable 102. For example, if the shirt is small-sized, the adjacent marking 104 may be placed adjacent the first embroidery-positioning point 120. By way of further example, if the embroiderable 102 is medium-sized, the marking 104 may be placed adjacent the second embroidery-positioning point 121. If the embroiderable 102 is large-sized, the marking 104 may be placed adjacent the third embroidery-positioning point 122. If the embroiderable 102 is extra large-sized, the marking 104 may be placed adjacent the fourth embroidery positioning point 123. The first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may coincide with different sizes of the embroiderable 102 to more accurately or properly place the starting point 104 at a desirable position for the embroidery pattern 101 to be embroidered.
In one embodiment, the first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may include one or more indents 124, 126, 128 that may receive the adjacent marking 104 to indicate the starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on the embroiderable 102. Each of the first indents 124, 126, 128 may have a different depth and be associated with a different embroiderable size, such as in the manner described above.
In one embodiment, the set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 includes a first embroidery-positioning indent 124 that receives the marking 104 to indicate the starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on a small-sized embroiderable. The set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may also include a second embroidery-positioning indent 126 that is adapted to receive an adjacent marking 104 to indicate the starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on a medium-sized embroiderable. The first embroidery-positioning indent 124 may be deeper than the second embroidery-positioning indent 126. The set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may also include a third embroidery-positioning indent 128 that receives the marking 104 to indicate the starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on a large-sized embroiderable. The second embroidery-positioning indent 126 may be deeper than the third embroidery-positioning indent 128. The set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may also include the fourth embroidery-positioning point 123 that receives an adjacent marking 104 to indicate a starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on an extra large-sized embroiderable. It will be appreciated that the depths and number of first points 120, 121, 122, 123 and/or first indents 124, 126, 128 may vary, and are not limited to those shown in
In one embodiment, the outer edge 118 of the embroidery positioning device 100 may include a set of second, aligning points 130, 131, 132, 133 that may be adapted to receive a second adjacent marking 134 to facilitate aligning the embroiderable 102 in an embroidery hoop or frame (not shown). When hooping or framing an embroiderable 102, it may be important to “square”, align, or otherwise position the embroiderable 102 in the embroidery hoop in a particular manner. When the embroiderable 102 is a shirt having a placket, the placket may be used as a reference point to align the embroidery hoop around the starting point 104. However, some embroiderables, such as T-shirts and sweatshirts, do not have a placket or other suitable reference points. In these, as well as other, cases, the second points 130, 131, 132, 133 may be used to create the second marking 134, which, in combination with the marking 104, may be used to align or square the embroiderable 102 in an embroidery hoop. It will be appreciated that the embroidery positioning device 100 may be used to hoop or frame embroiderables in any type of embroidery hoop, including home-use embroidery hoops, commercial-use embroidery hoops, and embroidery hoops having any numbers of brackets (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 4, etc.) in any position.
Like the set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123, the second points 130, 131, 132, 133 may each be associated with a different embroiderable size (e.g., first aligning point 130 associated with a small size, second aligning point 131 associated with a medium size, third aligning point 132 associated with a large size, and fourth aligning point 133 associated with an extra large size), and the second marking 134 may be made adjacent one of the second points 130, 131, 132, 133 based on the size of the embroiderable 102.
The set of second points 130, 131, 132, 133 may include one or more second, aligning indents 136, 137, 138 that are adapted to receive the second adjacent marking 134 that facilitates aligning the embroiderable 102 in the embroidery hoop. Each of the second indents 136, 137, 138 may have a different depth, and may be associated with a different embroiderable size. For example, the first aligning indent 136 may receive the second adjacent marking 134 when the embroiderable 102 is a small size, the second aligning indent 137 may receive the second marking 134 when the embroiderable 102 is a medium size, the third aligning indent 138 may receive the second adjacent marking 134 when the embroiderable 102 has a large size, and the fourth aligning point 133, which does not include an indent in this example, may receive the second adjacent marking 134 when the embroiderable 102 is an extra large size.
The set of second points 130, 131, 132, 133 may be positioned farther from a top edge 140 of the embroidery positioning device 100 than the set of first points 120, 121, 122, 123. The top edge 140 is adapted to be positioned adjacent a top portion 142 of the embroiderable 102.
In the examples of
In a non-limiting example, the side of the embroidery positioning device 100 shown in
In operation, the central edge 106 of the embroidery positioning device 100 may be positioned adjacent the centerline 108 of the embroiderable 102 (e.g., shirt). As mentioned above, if the shirt lacks a placket, the shirt may be folded along the centerline 108, and the central edge 106 may be positioned adjacent and substantially parallel to the folded centerline 108 of the shirt. On the other hand, if the shirt has a placket 110 and/or one or more buttons including a top button 116, the central edge 106 of the embroidery positioning device 100 may be positioned adjacent and substantially parallel to the placket 110. Furthermore, the button indent 112 may at least partially receive the top button 116.
Next, the embroiderable 102 may be marked adjacent one of the set of first, embroidery-positioning points 120, 121, 122, 123 to indicate the starting point 104 for embroidering the embroidery pattern 101 on the embroiderable 102. As described above, each of the first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may be associated with a different size of the embroiderable 102, and the marking 104 may be made based on the size of the embroiderable 102. In addition, the first points 120, 121, 122, 123 may include one or more indents that are associated with a different size of the embroiderable 102.
To provide a non-limiting example, if the embroiderable 102 is a small-sized shirt, the marking 104 may be made adjacent the first embroidery-positioning point 120, which has the first embroidery-positioning indent 124. The starting point 104 may then be used in an embroidery machine or other device or embroidery method as a reference point for starting the embroidery pattern 101.
In use, the embroiderable 102 may also be marked adjacent one of the second, aligning points 130, 131, 132, 133 to form the second marking 134, which is used to facilitate aligning the embroiderable 102 in an embroidery hoop or frame. Each of the second points 130, 131, 132, 133 may be associated with a different size of the embroiderable 102, and the second marking 134 may be made adjacent one of the second points 130, 131, 132, 133 based on the size of the embroiderable 102. The second points 130, 131, 132, 133 may also include one or more second indents 136, 137, 138 as described above.
To continue the example given above, if the embroiderable 102 is a small-sized shirt, in addition to the marking 104 being made adjacent the first embroidery-positioning indent 124, the second marking 134 may be made at the first aligning indent 136 adjacent the first aligning point 130. The first marking 104 and the second marking 134 thus made on the small-sized embroiderable provides a vertical line of reference that may be used for aligning the embroiderable 102 in an embroidery hoop or frame.
Referring to
The pocket embroidery positioning device 250 may also include a central marking edge 258 that is positioned substantially perpendicular to the pocket-faceable edge 254. The central marking edge 258 may be substantially at or aligned with the midpoint 260 of the pocket-faceable edge 254. The central marking edge 258 may receive an adjacent marking 262, using a pin 264 or other technique, to indicate the starting point 262 for embroidering the embroidery pattern on the embroiderable 202. The central marking edge 258 may include one or more height indicators 266, 268, 270, 272 that show a distance from the pocket-faceable edge 254.
In operation, after positioning the pocket embroidery positioning device 250 above the pocket 252 as described above, a height of the embroidery pattern desired to be placed on the embroiderable 202 may be determined. The height of the embroidery pattern may then be divided by 2 to form a halved embroidery pattern height. A desired separation distance between the embroidery pattern and the open edge 254 of the pocket 252 may then be determined by a user. The halved embroidery pattern height may then be added to the desired separation distance to form a starting point distance. The marking 262 may then be made on the embroiderable 202 adjacent the central marking edge 258 at the starting point distance from the pocket-faceable edge 254.
To provide a non-limiting example, the embroidery pattern may be 2 inches in height, in which case the halved embroidery pattern height would be 1 inch. The desired separation distance may be determined by a user to be ½ of an inch. The desired separation distance of ½ of an inch may then be added to the halved embroidery pattern height of 1 inch to equal 1½ inches. The embroiderable 202 may then be marked adjacent the second height indicator 268 that is 1½ inches from the pocket-faceable edge 254.
The marking 262 may then be used as the starting point to embroider the embroidery pattern on the embroiderable 202. It will be appreciated that any number of height indicators may be on the pocket embroidery positioning device 250, at any increment.
Referring to
Referring to
The flowcharts and block diagrams in the different depicted embodiments illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of some possible implementations of apparatus, methods and computer program products. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified function or functions. In some alternative implementations, the function or functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, in some cases, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.
As used herein, including in the claims, the terms first, second, third, etc. . . . used in relation to an element (e.g., first point, second point, etc.) are for reference or identification purposes only, and these terms, unless otherwise indicated, are not intended to describe or suggest a number, order, source, purpose, or substantive quality for any element for which such a term is used.
Although the illustrative embodiments described herein have been disclosed in the context of certain illustrative, non-limiting embodiments, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, permutations, and alterations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated that any feature that is described in a connection to any one embodiment may also be applicable to any other embodiment.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5934210 | Lucchese | Aug 1999 | A |
| 6216617 | Burt, Jr. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6725559 | Burt, Jr. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 7350678 | Austin | Apr 2008 | B1 |
