Sewing apparatus

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a sewing apparatus including a sewing cartridge and a sewing apparatus body, more specifically to a sewing apparatus that actuates a sewing auxiliary mechanism such as a thread cutting mechanism when the sewing cartridge is detached from the sewing apparatus body.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] Conventionally, a sewing apparatus, such as a sewing machine, performs sewing on a work cloth using upper and lower threads in cooperation with a thread take-up, a thread loop taker and a needle. The needle is threaded with the upper thread and moves vertically. A regular home sewing machine performs sewing using a single needle attached to a lower end of a needle rod. When the upper thread wound around a spool runs out, or the upper thread needs to be changed to sew a different color of a color pattern, the upper thread, after the spool for the upper thread is changed, is threaded to a predetermined guide portion provided for the sewing machine, then the upper thread needs to be threaded through a needle hole.

[0005] A conventional sewing apparatus and sewing cartridge, which can be attached to and detached from the sewing apparatus, includes the sewing cartridge accommodating a needle and a spool therein. However, it is not required to perform the threading of an upper thread through a needle hole when an upper thread wound around a spool runs out, or the upper thread needs to be changed to sew a color pattern. The omission of threading upper thread through a needle hole is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,867, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0006] The needle attached to a sewing cartridge is similar to a regular sewing needle wherein a thread is threaded through a needle hole at its lower end. When a sewing cartridge is attached to a sewing apparatus, the needle and the needle up and down mechanism provided to the sewing apparatus are connected to each other so as to move integrally. When a machine motor is running, the needle is moved up and down by the needle up and down driving mechanism with respect to the sewing cartridge fixed to the main body of the sewing machine. Thus, when the operation of a needle passing through a work cloth is repeated, sewing is performed on a work cloth using the upper thread and a looper member.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,039 discloses a sewing apparatus that includes a sewing cartridge accommodating a spool therein. When the sewing cartridge is attached to a sewing apparatus body, tension disks provided in the sewing apparatus body are closed, a thread extending from the spool in the sewing cartridge is held between the tension disks. When the sewing cartridge is manually pulled out from the sewing apparatus body, the tension disks are opened and the thread is released. The disclosure of the sewing apparatus in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,039 is herein incorporated by reference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In a conventional sewing apparatus, sewing is performed on a work cloth by attaching a detachable sewing cartridge to a sewing apparatus body. The conventional sewing apparatus is susceptible to improvements so as to simplify thread color change (spool replacement), for example, when an upper thread is cut to detach the sewing cartridge from the sewing apparatus body after sewing. In other words, if such a conventional sewing apparatus requires manual thread cutting using a pair of scissors, it is necessary to cut the upper thread every time the sewing cartridge is replaced with a different one, which becomes burdensome.

[0009] If a thread cutting mechanism, which is installed in a conventional sewing machine, is applied to the sewing apparatus, the thread cutting mechanism is usually structured to be actuated by operation of a thread cutting switch. Therefore, apart from an operation required for removal of the sewing cartridge, an operation for cutting the upper thread is required and burdens related to operations are increased. A user may forget to operate the thread cutting switch, so that the sewing cartridge may be detached with the thread remaining in the work cloth. Conversely, the thread may be cut when the user carelessly presses the thread cutting switch although there is no need to replace the sewing cartridge.

[0010] In a sewing apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,039, the operation required for removal of the sewing cartridge (the operation of the operating member) is not performed. When the sewing cartridge is detached from the sewing apparatus body, the sewing cartridge is just held and pulled out. When the sewing cartridge is detached from the sewing apparatus body, thread tension members are opened but the upper thread is not cut.

[0011] This invention provides a sewing apparatus where sewing is performed on a work cloth by detachably attaching a sewing cartridge to a sewing apparatus body. The sewing apparatus is designed to simplify thread cutting required when the sewing cartridge is detached from the sewing apparatus body, and to simplify thread color change (spool replacement).

[0012] In the sewing apparatus where sewing is performed on a work cloth by attaching a sewing cartridge to a sewing apparatus body, an operating member that is operated to detach the sewing cartridge from the sewing apparatus body is provided in the sewing cartridge body. In response to an operation of the operating member, a sewing auxiliary mechanism provided in the sewing apparatus body is actuated.

[0013] In the sewing apparatus, the sewing cartridge can be detached from the sewing apparatus body by an operation of the operating member. Simultaneously, in response to the operation of the operating member, the sewing auxiliary mechanism provided for the sewing apparatus body can be actuated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof and the accompanying drawings wherein;

[0015]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sewing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention and a game machine;

[0016]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sewing apparatus when a safety cover is in a storage position;

[0017]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sewing apparatus when the safety cover is in a sewing position;

[0018]
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sewing apparatus when the safety cover is in the sewing position;

[0019]
FIG. 5 is a right side view of the sewing apparatus when the safety cover is in the sewing position;

[0020]
FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the sewing apparatus;

[0021]
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the sewing apparatus when a hollow needle is in an upper limit position as seen from the front;

[0022]
FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the sewing apparatus when the hollow needle is in a lower limit position as seen from the front;

[0023]
FIG. 9 is a front view of a cam;

[0024]
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embroidery frame;

[0025]
FIG. 11 is a fragmentally vertical sectional view of the embroidery frame;

[0026]
FIG. 12 is a front view of a sewing cartridge;

[0027]
FIG. 13 is a rear view of the sewing cartridge;

[0028]
FIG. 14 is a left side view of the sewing cartridge;

[0029]
FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of the sewing cartridge in a closed state;

[0030]
FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of the sewing cartridge in an open state;

[0031]
FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view of a housing case of the sewing cartridge;

[0032]
FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of an openable cover of the sewing cartridge;

[0033]
FIG. 19 is a front view of an oscillating arm and the sewing cartridge when the sewing cartridge is not completely attached to the oscillating arm;

[0034]
FIG. 20 is another front view of the oscillating arm and the sewing cartridge when the sewing cartridge is not completely attached to the oscillating arm;

[0035]
FIG. 21 is a front view of the oscillating arm and the sewing cartridge when the sewing cartridge is attached to the oscillating arm;

[0036]
FIG. 22 is a plan view of a movement prohibiting mechanism in a locked position;

[0037]
FIG. 23 is a plan view of the movement prohibiting mechanism in an unlocked position;

[0038]
FIG. 24 is a side view of the movement prohibiting mechanism;

[0039]
FIG. 25 is a vertical sectional view of a backflow preventive mechanism;

[0040]
FIG. 26 is a side view of a locking member of a locking mechanism;

[0041]
FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing sewing operation before the sewing operation is started;

[0042]
FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram showing the sewing operation when a first stitching is performed;

[0043]
FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram showing the sewing operation when the hollow needle has risen immediately after the first stitching was performed;

[0044]
FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing the sewing operation while advancing a work cloth;

[0045]
FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram showing the sewing operation when a second or following stitching is performed;

[0046]
FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram showing the sewing operation when the hollow needle has risen immediately after the second or following stitching is made;

[0047]
FIG. 33 is a sectional view of a work cloth, an embroidery pattern formed on the work cloth, and a double-sided adhesive tape;

[0048]
FIG. 34 is a sectional view of a patterned cloth;

[0049]
FIG. 35 is a front view of essential parts including a thread cutting mechanism in a standby state;

[0050]
FIG. 36 is a front view of essential parts including the thread cutting mechanism in the standby state;

[0051]
FIG. 37 is a left side view of essential parts including the thread cutting mechanism of FIG. 36;

[0052]
FIG. 38 is a front view of essential parts including the thread cutting mechanism when the thread is being cutting;

[0053]
FIG. 39 is a left side view of essential parts including the thread cutting mechanism of FIG. 38;

[0054]
FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a thread cutting lever;

[0055]
FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a thread cutting lever pawl;

[0056]
FIG. 42 is a block diagram showing a control system of the sewing apparatus and a game machine;

[0057]
FIG. 43 is a diagram showing the data storage of a DVD;

[0058]
FIG. 44 is a control flowchart to be executed in the game machine;

[0059]
FIG. 45 is a control flowchart to be executed in the sewing apparatus;

[0060]
FIG. 46 is an exploded perspective view showing the sewing cartridge, a part of the oscillating arm, and a cartridge setting mechanism;

[0061]
FIG. 47 is a perspective view showing the sewing cartridge, the oscillating arm, and the cartridge setting mechanism when the cartridge setting mechanism is attached to the oscillating arm;

[0062]
FIG. 48 is a front view of essential parts when the sewing cartridge is attached to the oscillating arm;

[0063]
FIG. 49 is a left side view of essential parts of FIG. 48;

[0064]
FIG. 50 is a plan view of the oscillating arm and the cartridge setting mechanism when the sewing cartridge is not attached to the oscillating arm;

[0065]
FIG. 51 is a front view of essential parts when the sewing cartridge is being detached from the oscillating arm;

[0066]
FIG. 52 is a left side view of essential parts of FIG. 51;

[0067]
FIG. 53 is a rear view of an engagement plate when thread cutting is being performed; and

[0068]
FIG. 54 is a left side view of essential parts of the thread cutting mechanism of FIG. 53.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1, a sewing apparatus 1 is connected to a home video game machine 6, including a controller 7 via a cable. In the sewing apparatus 1, an embroidery pattern is selected and edited using the game machine 6 while the embroidery pattern is observed on a screen of a display 8. The selected/edited embroidery pattern can be embroidered on a work cloth.

[0070] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sewing apparatus 1 includes a sewing apparatus body 2, a safety cover 3 slidably attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 in a back and forth direction, an embroidery frame 4, and a sewing cartridge 5. The embroidery frame 4 and the sewing cartridge 5 are detachably attached to the sewing apparatus body 2. A work cloth 70 to be sewn is held in the embroidery frame 4, and a hollow needle 81 capable of penetrating into the work cloth 70 is provided in the sewing cartridge 5.

[0071] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the sewing apparatus body 2 includes a casing 10, an embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 that moves the embroidery frame 4 having the work cloth 70 in a horizontal plane with respect to the hollow needle 81 while the embroidery frame 4 is held by a carriage 18, a cartridge driving mechanism 12 that swings the sewing cartridge 5, attached to an oscillating arm 40, up and down, and an operational controller 13 (see FIG. 42) that controls the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 and the cartridge driving mechanism 12.

[0072] The casing 10 is a relatively small rectangular solid, for example, in one embodiment it may be 130 mm long, 165 mm wide and 70 mm high. The casing 10 contains main parts of the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 and the cartridge driving mechanism 12, and the operational controller 13. The casing 10 is cut away approximately two-thirds of the way from a left side (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the casing 10 in the length, approximately one-fourth of the way from a front side, and approximately half of the height from the top. Thus, a cutaway space 10a is defined in the casing 10.

[0073] A slit 10c, extending in a right and left direction, is formed in a lower end portion of a front wall 10b of the casing 10 within the cutaway space 10a. The slit 10c is provided to attach the embroidery frame 4 to the carriage 18 and to move the embroidery frame 4 in a horizontal plane. A slit extending in a vertical direction (not shown) is formed in the side wall of the casing 10 within the cutaway space 10a. The oscillating arm 40 of the cartridge driving mechanism 12 protrudes into the cutaway space 10a from the inside of the casing 10 and is vertically movable in the vertical slit.

[0074] On an upper wall 10d of the casing 10, a guide upper surface 10e is formed as a step. A middle area of the guide upper surface 10e protrudes toward the front of the casing 10. On the right side of the guide upper surface 10e is a power switch 15, electrically connected to the operational controller 13 (FIG. 42), and a start/stop switch 16 (FIG. 3) that starts and stops the sewing. Upper surfaces of the power switch 15 and the start/stop switch 16 are positioned at the same or a slightly lower level than the upper surface of the upper wall 10d.

[0075] To assist in the attachment/detachment of the sewing cartridge 5 to/from the oscillating arm 40, in front of the guide upper surface 10e (described later), a front end of the guide upper surface 10e is longer in length in the right and left direction (as shown) than the sewing cartridge 5. Accordingly, the front end of the guide upper surface 10e extends toward and behind the sewing cartridge 5 that is attached to the oscillating arm 40.

[0076] Guide grooves 10g and 10h are formed in the front to rear direction in right and left side walls 10f of the casing 10. The guide groove 10g is narrower than the guide groove 10h. An engaging block piece 67 is fixed to each guide groove 10g in a substantially mid-position, between the front and backsides, of the casing 10 and protrudes outwardly. Because the cutaway space 10a exists in the casing 10, the length of the guide grooves 10g and 10h in the left wall 10f is shorter than that of the guide grooves 10g and 10h in the right wall 10f.

[0077] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 includes the carriage 18 to which the embroidery frame 4 is detachably attached, an X-axis direction driving mechanism 20 that drives the carriage 18 in an X direction (the left-right direction as shown) within a horizontal plane, and a Y-axis direction driving mechanism 30 that drives the carriage 18 in a Y direction (the front and rear direction as shown) perpendicular to the X direction, within the horizontal plane.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 6, the carriage 18 has an engagement portion 18a that can engage/disengage an installation portion 4a of the embroidery frame 4 thereto/therefrom and a guide plate 18b that extends rearward from the underside of the engagement portion 18a. When the embroidery frame 4 is attached to, or detached from the carriage 18, the carriage 18 is positioned under the oscillating arm 40. A moving frame 21 of the X-axis direction driving mechanism 20 is formed with a guide portion 21a in the right and left direction at its rear and is provided with a guide rod 22 in the right and left direction at its front. The carriage 18 is movably supported and guided in the right and left direction by the guide portion 21a and the guide rod 22.

[0079] The X-axis direction driving mechanism 20 has the moving frame 21, the guide rod 22, a screw shaft 23, a pulse motor 24 (FIG. 42), and a guide pin 25. The moving frame 21 is substantially box shaped and has an open upper portion. The guide rod 22 is supported at its ends by side walls of the moving frame 21. The screw shaft 23 is disposed inside of the moving frame 21, extending in the right and left direction. A left end of the screw shaft 23 is rotatably supported by the left wall of the moving frame 21. The pulse motor 24 is fixed on the right of the right wall of the moving frame 21. An output shaft of the pulse motor 24 is directly connected to a right end of the screw shaft 23.

[0080] The guide plate 18b of the carriage 18 is disposed above the screw shaft 23. The guide pin 25 is fixed to the guide plate 18b so as to protrude downward. The guide pin 25 slidably engages a spiral groove formed in the screw shaft 23. As the screw shaft 23 is rotated by the pulse motor 24, the guide pin 25 is guided along the spiral groove, so that the guide pin 25 moves from side to side. As a result, the carriage 18 is moved in the X direction.

[0081] The Y-axis direction driving mechanism 30 has a support frame 31, two guide rods 32, 33, a screw shaft 34, a pulse motor 35, and a guide pin 36. The support frame 31 has a substantially concave shape when viewed from the side. The guide rods 32 and 33, extend in the front to back direction and are supported by the front and the rear walls at their ends. The support frame 31 of the Y-axis driving mechanism 30 is movably supported and guided in the back and forth direction by the guide rods 32, 33.

[0082] The screw shaft 34 extends in the front to back direction. The screw shaft 34 is rotatably supported by the rear wall of the support frame 31 at its rear end. The pulse motor 35 is fixed at the front of the front wall of the support frame 31. An output shaft of the pulse motor 35 is directly connected to the front end of the screw shaft 34. The guide pin 36 is fixed to the moving frame 21 so as to protrude downward. The guide pin 36 slidably engages a spiral groove formed in the screw shaft 34. As the screw shaft 34 is rotated by the pulse motor 35, the guide pin 36 is guided along the spiral groove, so that the guide pin 36 moves back and forth. As a result, the carriage 18 is moved in the Y direction together with the moving frame 21. The Y-axis direction driving mechanism 30 is disposed under the X-axis direction driving mechanism 20.

[0083] An embroidery frame moving area 38, shown in FIG. 6, is an area in which the embroidery frame 4, attached to the carriage 18, can be moved by the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11. The hollow needle 81 in the sewing cartridge 5 attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 is positioned substantially at a center of the embroidery frame moving area 38. The sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the forward part of the sewing apparatus body 2, so that the embroidery frame moving area 38 extends forward from the casing 10. As described above, the Y-axis direction driving mechanism 30 is disposed under the X-axis direction driving mechanism 20 and each of the driving mechanisms 20 and 30 is positioned under the embroidery frame moving area 38 of the carriage 18. Accordingly, the sewing apparatus body 2 can be downsized.

[0084] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the cartridge driving mechanism 12 has the oscillating arm 40 that the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to or detached from, a machine motor 45, that may be an AC motor, as a drive source to move the oscillating arm 40 up and down, a gear mechanism 50 that reduces the rotation speed of the machine motor 45, and a cam mechanism 55 that converts a rotary motion, reduced in its rotation speed by the gear mechanism 50, into up-and-down movements of the oscillating arm 40.

[0085] As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 19 to 21, the oscillating arm 40 is formed with an arm portion 40a, extending in the right and left direction, and a lever portion 40b, extending in the up and down direction, which are integral to form a single structure. The oscillating arm 40 is disposed at substantially the right half part of the forward part of the casing 10. The lever portion 40b is pivotally supported at its middle portion by a pivot shaft 41b which is supported by the sewing apparatus body 2 via a bracket 41a. A largest portion of the arm portion 40a protrudes toward the cutaway space 10a. The remaining portion, including the lever portion 40b, is accommodated in the casing 10.

[0086] An engaging pin 42, extending from the front to the rear of the casing 10, is fixed at a left end portion of the arm portion 40a. The engaging pin 42 rotatably supports the sewing cartridge 5 at the left end portion of the arm portion 40a. A lock release pin 43, also extending from the front to the rear, is fixed to the right of the engaging pin 42 so as to protrude toward the front of the casing 10. An engaging member 44a is rotatably supported by the oscillating arm 40. The engaging member 44a regulates the pivotal movement of the sewing cartridge 5, which is pivotally supported by the engaging pin 42, in a position where sewing can be performed (see FIG. 21) at the right of the lock release pin 43.

[0087] The arm portion 40a is also provided with a torsion spring (not shown) and a leaf spring 44c. The torsion spring rotatably urges the engaging member 44a in a clockwise direction. The leaf spring 44c receives the sewing cartridge 5 in the sewable position from its bottom while elastically urging the sewing cartridge 5 upward. An engagement plate 19, that is integrally formed with the machine frame of the sewing apparatus body 2, is provided behind the oscillating arm 40. The engagement plate 19 extends from the right part of the machine frame of the sewing apparatus body 2 and toward the left (as shown). In front of the engagement plate 19, the operating member 44b, that is operated to rotate the engaging member 44a in a counterclockwise direction, is operably rotatably supported. A torsion spring 44d is provided to a support shaft of the operating member 44b while its one end is received by a fixing member 19b provided to the engagement plate 19 and its other end is received by a left end portion of the operating member 44b. The engagement plate 19 is also provided with a regulating member (not shown) that prevents the operating member 44b from being rotated, other than in manual operation. With this structure, the operating member 44b is supported in a substantially horizontal position.

[0088] The engaging pin 42, the lock release pin 43, the engaging member 44a, the operating member 44b and the leaf spring 44c are provided in order to attach and detach the sewing cartridge 5 to and from the oscillating arm 40.

[0089] The machine motor 45 is fixed to the back of the right lower portion of the front wall 3 la of the support frame 31 so that a rotational shaft of the machine motor 45 extends toward the front of the casing 10.

[0090] A modification to the above-described oscillating arm 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 46 to 54. The same parts are designated by the same numerals. As shown in FIGS. 46, 47, an engaging pin 42, extending from front to rear of the casing 10, is fixed at a left end portion of the arm portion 40a, to which the sewing cartridge 5 is rotatably supported. A cartridge setting mechanism 160 is mounted to an end portion of the engaging pin 42. A lock release pin 43, also extending from front to rear, is fixed to the right of the engaging pin 42 so as to protrude frontward. The oscillating arm 40 rotatably supports, at the right of the lock release pin 43, an engaging member 44a that regulates the sewing cartridge 5 supported at the engaging pin 42 to a position where sewing is feasible (FIG. 48). As shown in FIG. 13, when the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, the lock release pin 43 enters an opening 86f from below, the lock engages a tapered portion 100e of an engaged portion 100c. A movement prohibiting member 100 is rotated from a lock position to a lock release position against the urging force from a torsion spring 100d, so that the needle cover 84 is unlocked.

[0091] The engaging pin 42 includes a pin shaft 42a and a large-diameter portion 42b.

[0092] As shown in FIGS. 46, 47, 48, and 49, the cartridge setting mechanism 160 includes a pair of setting members 161 and 162, made of synthetic resin, a torsion spring 163, and a retaining member 164. A boss 162b provided on a substrate 162a of the right setting member 162 is rotatably fit around an end portion 42c of the engaging pin 42. A boss 161b provided on a substrate 161a of the left setting member 161 is fit around the boss 162b so that it can rotate relatively to the boss 162b. A support pin 161c protruding rearward from the substrate 161a of the left setting member 161 makes contact with a left side surface of the sewing cartridge 5. A support pin 162c protruding rearward from the substrate 162a of the right setting member 162 makes contact with the bottom of the sewing cartridge 5.

[0093] The retaining member 164 is fixed to the end of the engaging pin 42 so that a spacing piece 164a is disposed between a stopper pin 161d protruding frontward from the substrate 161a of the left setting member 161 and a stopper pin 162d protruding frontward from the substrate 162a of the right setting member 162. The stopper pins 161d and 162d are pressed inwardly by both stopping end portions of the torsion spring 163, so that the left and right setting members 161 and 162 are pivotable on the engaging pin 42 relative to each other. (The position of each of the left and right setting members 161 and 162 is determined by an angle between the engaging pin 42 and the support pin 161c and 162c.) The sewing cartridge 5 attached to the cartridge setting mechanism 160 can be maintained in a position where the right side of sewing cartridge 5 is lifted from a lowest position (the engaging pin 42). (See FIG. 51).

[0094] Instead of the cartridge setting member 160, the arm portion 40a may include a torsion spring (not shown) that urges the engaging portion 44a clockwise, and a plate spring (now shown) that holds, from below, the sewing cartridge 5 urged upward. When a free end side of the arm portion 40a of the oscillating arm 40 has descended and is in the sewing position (that is, when the hollow needle 81 is positioned near the work cloth 70 held in the embroidery frame 4 or is penetrating the work cloth 70), a left end portion of the operating member 44b (with respect to a center of rotation of the operating portion 44b) is apart from a right end portion of the engaging member 44a (with respect to a center of rotation of the engaging member 44a), so that they cannot contact each other. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 48, when the free end of the arm portion 40a of the oscillating arm 40 has ascended, the left end portion of the operating member 44b can contact the right end portion of the engaging member 44a so that the sewing cartridge 5 can be detached from the oscillating arm 40. A positional relationship between the center of rotation of the oscillating arm 40 (the pivot shaft 41b) and the center of rotation of the operating member 44b (the support shaft 44e), a distance between the center of rotation of the operating member 44b (the pivot shaft 41b) and the left end portion of the operating member 44b (the support shaft 44e), and a distance between the center of rotation of the engaging member 44a and the right end portion of the engaging member 44a are set in a fashion that the above-described operation can be performed.

[0095] As shown FIG. 48, the center of rotation of the oscillating arm 40 (the pivot shaft 41b), the center of rotation of the operating member 44b (the support shaft 44e), and the center of rotation of the engaging member 44a are positioned so that they form vertexes of a triangle. A distance from the pivot shaft 41b to the support shaft 44e is set shorter than a distance from the pivot shaft 41b to the center of rotation of the engaging member 44a. Further, a distance between the support shaft 44e and the center of rotation of the engaging member 44a is set shorter than the other two sides of the triangle. By doing so, in a position where the free end side of the arm portion 40a of the oscillating arm 40 is upwardly moved, the right end portion of the engaging member 44a moves into contact with the left end portion of the operating member 44b. In a position where the free end side of the arm portion 40a of the oscillating arm 40 is moved downwardly (into the sewing position), the right end portion of the engaging member 44a is separated from the left end portion of the operating member 44b.

[0096] The sewing cartridge 5 may be detachable by use of the engaging pin 42 provided on the oscillating arm 40 and the pivotable engaging member 44a. Further, the sewing cartridge 5 may be attached to, or detached from the oscillating arm 40 by projecting a projecting piece of an electromagnetic solenoid provided on the engagement plate 19 and pivoting the engaging member 44a when the oscillating arm 40 is positioned in a place where sewing is feasible.

[0097] The sewing cartridge 5 may be attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 from a horizontal direction so that its vertical movement is regulated with respect to the sewing apparatus body 2. Further, an engaging device that attaches and detaches the sewing cartridge 5 to and from the sewing apparatus body 2 may be an actuator. Further, a needle position sensor may be used to detect that the sewing cartridge 5 is in the sewing position. Further, with the actuator not being operated, the sewing cartridge 5 may be attachable and detachable via the engaging device and the sewing cartridge 5 may be detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 when the needle is at its up position (where most of the needle is retracted into the sewing cartridge 5).

[0098] As shown in FIG. 12, a U-shaped engagement groove 86a is formed in a lower left portion of the housing case 86 (see FIGS. 15 and 16). The engagement groove 86a is cut away from the left and can engage the engaging pin 42a of the oscillating arm 40. As shown in FIGS. 46 and 47, the engagement groove 86a includes a U-shaped narrow groove portion 86a1 and a wide recessed portion 86a2. The narrow groove portion 86a1 is cut away from the left. The shaft portion 42a of the engaging pin 42 rotatably engages the narrow groove portion 86a1. The wide recessed portion 86a2 is provided so as to connect with the narrow groove portion 86a1. The large-diameter portion 42b of the engaging pin 42 rotatably engages the wide recessed portion 86a2. The engagement groove 86a also includes connecting portions 86a3 that connect the narrow groove portion 86a1 and the periphery of the housing case 86 of the sewing cartridge 5. At least one of the connecting portions 86a3 (both connecting portions 86a3 opposed each other in the embodiment) is inclined such that the opening of the engagement groove 86a becomes wider toward the periphery of the sewing cartridge 5.

[0099] The engagement groove 86a opens (to the left when viewed from the front) in a horizontal direction while the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the sewing apparatus body 2. With this structure, the engaging pin 42 becomes easy to engage with the engagement groove 86a.

[0100] When the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, the sewing cartridge 5 is inserted from the cartridge insertion slot 68, formed by the forward movement of the safety cover 3, while inclined leftwardly and downwardly, so that the engagement groove 86a is engaged with the engaging pin 42. At that time, because the connecting portions 86a3, which connect the narrow groove portion 86a1 and the periphery of the housing case 86 of the sewing cartridge 5, are inclined so that the opening of the engagement groove 86a becomes wider toward the outside, the shaft portion 42a can smoothly engage the narrow groove portion 86a1. Further, the large-diameter portion 42b provided to the shaft portion 42a at its free end engages the wide recessed portion 86a2 connected with the narrow groove portion 86a1. Therefore, the sewing cartridge 5 cannot move along the shaft portion 42a so that it can be properly fit in a predetermined position.

[0101] The sewing cartridge 5 can be held in position where the right side of the sewing cartridge 5 is lifted because the sewing cartridge 5 is supported at the bottom by the right support pin 162c and at the left side by the left support pin 161c. Accordingly, the sewing cartridge 5 may be more surely prevented from being attached to the oscillating arm 40 in an improper posture by a user.

[0102] Then, the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted clockwise to be in a sewable position where the sewing cartridge 5 is placed in a horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 20, the engaging member 44a is engaged and held by the oscillating arm 40 so as to be able to contact the lower right end portion of the sewing cartridge 5. The lower right end portion of the sewing cartridge 5 contacts the engaging member 44a slightly before the sewing cartridge 5 reaches the sewable position. As the sewing cartridge 5 reaches the sewable position, the engaging member 44a rotates in the counterclockwise direction against an urging force from the torsion spring 44d.

[0103] Then, the engaging member 44a is pivoted in the clockwise direction by the urging force from the torsion spring 44d to engage the engagement recess 86b (see FIG. 12), so that the engaging member 44a is returned by a small amount. Thus, the housing case 86 is regulated in its pivotal movement and is fixedly attached to the oscillating arm 40. When the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted to the sewable position, in the cartridge setting member 160, the left stopper pin 161d makes contact with the spacing piece 164a of the retaining member 164, which is stationary, and is pressed toward the spacing piece 164a from outside by one end of the torsion spring 163. At that time, similarly, the right stopper pin 162d makes contact with the spacing piece 164a and is pressed toward the spacing piece 164a from the outside by another end of the torsion spring 163. When the support pin 162c of the right setting member 162 is pressed against the bottom of the sewing cartridge 5, the right setting member 162 is moved clockwise in FIG. 48, and the torsion spring 163 is elastically twisted via the stopper pin 162c. Thus, while the sewing cartridge 5 is urged upward by the torsion spring 163 in the sewing feasible position, the engaging member 44a is engaged in the engagement groove 86b, so that the sewing cartridge 5 is attached and its movement is regulated.

[0104] When the free end side of the arm portion 40a of the oscillating arm 40 is pivoted downwardly toward a substantially horizontal position where the sewing cartridge 5 is in the sewing feasible position, the right end portion of the engaging member 44a provided in the middle of the arm portion 40a is away from the left end portion of the operating member 44b pivotally supported to the engagement plate 19, which is fixed. If a user operates the operating member 44a by mistake, the sewing cartridge 5 is not detached from the oscillating arm 40. Therefore, even in a state where the hollow needle 81 protruding from the bottom of the sewing cartridge 5 is penetrating the work cloth 70, the sewing cartridge 5 does not come off of the sewing apparatus body 2 accidentally, which can prevent accidents such as bending of the hollow needle 81 and damage to the work cloth 70.

[0105] In a state where the sewing cartridge 5 is in the upper limit position shown in FIG. 48 so that the hollow needle 81 is placed above the work cloth 70 held in the embroidery frame 4, the left end portion of the operating member 44b pivotally supported by the engagement plate 19 is placed close to the right end portion of the engaging member 44a pivotally supported by the arm portion 40a. When the operating member 44b is pressed downward (FIG. 51), the engaging member 44a is pivoted counterclockwise against the urging force from the torsion spring 44d via the operating member 44b.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 51, the engaging member 44a is disengaged from the engagement recess 86b as indicated by a solid line. After the operating member 44b is pressed downward, the right setting member 162 is urged counterclockwise (FIG. 51) by the torsion spring 163 in the cartridge setting member 160 until the engaging member 44a is moved to a position where the engaging member 44a does not engage the engagement recess 86b, and the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted upward in the counterclockwise direction. From this state, the sewing cartridge 5 can be removed from the oscillating arm 40 in a manner reverse to the operation for attaching the sewing cartridge 5 to the oscillating arm 40. While the operating member 44b is not operated, it is supported in a substantially horizontal position by the torsion spring 44d.

[0107] In the above modification to the oscillating arm 40, where the cartridge setting member 160 is used, the sewing cartridge 5 is held with a posture different from that where the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the sewing apparatus body 2, and the engaging pin 42 is engaged in the engagement recess 86a. As such, the sewing cartridge 5 can be pivotally supported at the sewing apparatus body 2. Then, the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted about the engaging pin 42 to be switched to the sewing feasible position. When the engaging member 44a is engaged in the engagement groove 86b, the sewing cartridge 5 can be regulated for its pivotal movement in the sewing feasible position. That is, the sewing cartridge 5 can be attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 simply and reliably in consideration of the structures of the sewing cartridge 5 and the sewing apparatus body 2. Further, with this structure, it is easy to find whether the sewing cartridge 5 is attached correctly.

[0108] A gear mechanism 50 includes gears 51, 52, 53 and 54 disposed in front of the front wall 31a of the support frame 31 as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. The drive gear 51 is fixed to the output shaft of the machine motor 45. The intermediate gears 52 and 53, which are internally connected on the same shaft, and the large-diameter gear 54 are rotatably supported at the front wall 31a. The drive gear 51 engages the intermediate gear 52. The intermediate gear 53 engages the large-diameter gear 54. Thus, rotation speed of the large-diameter gear 54 is reduced with respect to the rotation speed of the machine motor 45 (the drive gear 51).

[0109] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the cam mechanism 55 has a cam 56 that is rotatably supported by the front wall 31a and a cam follower 57 that is fixedly attached to the right end of the oscillating arm 40 to protrude toward the front. The outer region of the cam 56 is formed with gear teeth of the large-diameter gear 54. A cam groove 56a is formed on the back of the cam 56. The cam follower 57 is slidably engaged with the cam groove 56a.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 9, the cam groove 56a is formed into a loop wherein a distance between the cam groove 56a and a center of rotation of the cam 56 is changed. When the cam 56 is turned, the arm portion 40a travels vertically between an upper limit position, shown in FIG. 7, and a lower limit position, shown in FIG. 8. Additionally, a speed with which the hollow needle 81 releases from the work cloth 70 is slower than a speed with which the hollow needle 81 penetrates the work cloth 70.

[0111] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the safety cover 3 has the functions of protecting the embroidery frame 4, the sewing cartridge 5, and the oscillating arm 40 which are movable, covering the hollow needle 81 and the embroidery frame moving area 38 (FIG. 6). This so a user, such as a child, will not be hurt, and may also prevent the occurrence of an undesired operation of the start/stop switch 16. The safety cover 3 can cover the entire embroidery frame moving area 38. The safety cover 3 can be moved between a sewing position (see FIG. 3), where the safety cover 3 covers the embroidery frame moving area 38 at the time sewing is executed, and a storage position (see FIG. 2), where the safety cover 3 is in a position for storage or packing.

[0112] The safety cover 3 is formed of a transparent or a translucent material made of a synthetic resin. The safety cover 3 has an upper wall 3a, a front wall 3b, and right and left side walls 3c. The safety cover 3 does not have a lower wall or a rear wall. The upper wall 3a of the safety cover 3 is formed with a recessed area 3d which is recessed at the rear, generally center portion. The recessed area 3d engages the guide upper surface 10e of the casing 10 so that the safety cover 3 can slide back and forth. The lower surface of the upper wall 3a of the safety cover 3 can contact the upper surface of the upper wall 10d of the casing 10, except for the guide upper surface 10e.

[0113] A vertical plate 60 is fixed inside of the rear part of each side wall 3c of the safety cover 3. An engagement piece 66 is fixed inside of the upper rear portion of each vertical plate 60. An engagement portion 60a is integrally formed with each vertical plate 60 under the engagement piece 66. Each engagement piece 66 slidably engages a guide groove 10g formed in each side wall 10f of the casing 10. The guide groove 10h is also formed in each side wall 10f. Each engagement portion 60a slidably engages a guide groove 10h. Inside of the forward part of the right side wall 3c of the safety cover 3, is fixed an engagement piece 61, which can slidably engage the guide groove 10g.

[0114] A stopper mechanism 65 is provided to position the safety cover 3 in the sewing position and to regulate the safety cover 3 so as not to be removed from the sewing apparatus body 2. The stopper mechanism 65 has the engagement pieces 66, which are fixed to each side wall 3c of the safety cover 3, and the engagement block pieces 67, which are fixed to each guide groove 10g of each side wall 10f of the casing 10 and protrude outwardly. When the guide pieces 66 engage the engagement block pieces 67, the safety cover 3 is in the sewing position. As a result, the safety cover 3 cannot move forward from the sewing position.

[0115] In a state where the safety cover 3 is switched to the storage position shown in FIG. 2, the recessed area 3d of the safety cover 3 completely engages the guide upper surface 10e of the casing 10. The rear end of the upper wall 3a of the safety cover 3 contacts the stepped portion of the guide upper surface 10e. The front wall 3b of the safety cover 3 is brought closer to the front surface of the casing 10. When the safety cover 3 is in the storage position, the embroidery frame moving area 38 is not entirely covered by the safety cover 3. As the safety cover 3 is switched to the sewing position shown in FIG. 3, by sliding the safety cover 3 forward from the storage position shown in FIG. 2, the entire embroidery frame moving area 38 is covered with the safety cover 3.

[0116] In a state where the safety cover 3 is switched to the sewing position shown in FIG. 3, a cartridge insertion slot 68 is defined by the front end of the guide upper surface 10e of the casing 10 and the recessed area 3d of the safety cover 3. The width of the cartridge insertion slot 68 is substantially equal to the width of the sewing cartridge 5 (see FIG. 4). The length of the cartridge insertion slot 68 is longer than that of the sewing cartridge 5. The sewing cartridge 5 can be attached to the oscillating arm 40 by inserting the sewing cartridge 5 from the cartridge insertion slot 68. When the sewing cartridge 5 is inserted into the safety cover 3 from the cartridge insertion slot 68, the sewing cartridge 5 is guided by the cartridge insertion portion 68 and attached to the oscillating arm 40. In a state where the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the sewing apparatus body 2, the safety cover 3 is regulated in its position to the sewing position by the sewing cartridge 5.

[0117] A switch operating hole 3e is formed on the right in the upper wall 3a of the safety cover 3. When the safety cover 3 is in the storage position shown in FIG. 2, the switch operating hole 3e is opposed to the power switch 15. Therefore, the power switch 15 can be operated via the switch operating hole 3e. In this state, the start/stop switch 16 is covered with the safety cover 3, so that the start/stop switch 16 cannot be operated.

[0118] The power switch 15 is disposed to the rear of the start/stop switch 16. The distance between centers of the power switch 15 and the start/stop switch 16 is approximately the same as the amount of back-and-forth movement of the safety cover 3. Accordingly, in the state where the safety cover 3 is in the sewing position shown in FIG. 3, the switch operating hole 3e is opposed to the start/stop switch 16, so that the start/stop switch 16 can be operated via the switch operating hole 3e. That is, the prohibition provided by the safety cover 3 is withdrawn.

[0119] When the safety cover 3 is in the sewing position, the power switch 15 is exposed at the rear portion of the safety cover 3, thereby enabling the operation of the power switch 15. The power switch 15 is available when the safety cover 3 is in both the storage position and the sewing position. The power switch 15, the start/stop switch 16, and the switch operation hole 3e are formed in substantially the same way as described above.

[0120] An embroidery frame insertion slot 3f is formed at a substantially middle portion in the right and left direction (perpendicular to the sliding direction of the safety cover 3) of the lower portion of the front wall 3b of the safety cover 3. The embroidery frame 4 can be inserted into the safety cover 3 via the embroidery frame insertion slot 3f. A guide member 69 protruding forward is fixed to the front wall 3b. The guide member 69 guides the embroidery frame 4 in the back and forth direction when the embroidery frame 4 is attached to the carriage 18 by inserting the embroidery frame 4 into the safety cover 3 from the embroidery frame insertion slot 3f. The embroidery frame insertion slot 3f is in a position displaced to the right slightly from a middle position within the moving range of the carriage 18 in the right and left direction (a middle position of the embroidery frame moving area 38 in the right and left direction).

[0121] When the carriage 18 is positioned substantially under the oscillating arm 40, the carriage 18 is in a foremost position. Accordingly, the embroidery frame 4, which is guided by the guide member 69 and is inserted into the inside of the safety cover 3 via the embroidery frame insertion slot 3f, can be attached to the carriage 18. The guide member 69 can also be used as a means for moving the safety cover 3.

[0122] As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, 10, and 11, the embroidery frame 4 is formed with a base frame 71 and a holding frame 72 both having a rectangular shape. The base frame 71 and the holding frame 72 are rotatably connected to each other at their front ends. The installation portion 4a is formed integrally with the base frame 71 at the rear end. The embroidery frame 4 can be engaged with and disengaged from the engaging portion 18a of the carriage 18 at the installation portion 4a. A stepped portion 71a is formed to the internal edge of the base frame 71. The stepped portion 71a is stepped down with respect to an upper surface of the base frame 71. An outer region of a special work cloth 70 is fit to the stepped portion 71a. The work cloth 70 is held by the holding frame 72 and attached to the embroidery frame 4 under tension. The work cloth 70 can be releasably attached to the embroidery frame 4 via a double-sided adhesive tape or an adhesive in some cases.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 11, for example, the work cloth 70 is a special cloth that has elasticity and a multi-layer structure formed by which an elastic film member 73 made of urethane is sandwiched between pieces of cloth 74 by lamination. A plurality of sets of the embroidery frame 4 and the work cloth 70 set in the embroidery frame 4 are prepared in advance.

[0124] The sewing cartridge 5 will be described below. For all of the discussion below, any direction description related to FIGS. 15-18 is the reverse of the actual directions when the sewing cartridge 5 is mounted in the sewing apparatus, such as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 19 to 21B, for example.

[0125] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 12 to 18, the sewing cartridge 5 includes a cassette body 80, the hollow needle 81 that can pass through the work cloth 70, a spool 82 around which a thread T to be supplied to the hollow needle 81 is wound, a needle cover 83 that covers at least a tip of the hollow needle 81, a coil compression spring 84 that urges the needle cover 83 to a cover position where the needle cover 83 covers the hollow needle 81, and a movement prohibiting mechanism 85 that prohibits the movement of the needle cover 83 positioned at the cover position. For this sewing apparatus 1, a plurality of sewing cartridges 5 that can be detachably attached to the oscillating arm 40 are prepared. The sewing cartridges 5 each accommodate different colors, so that a colorful embroidery pattern can be formed using several sewing cartridges 5.

[0126] The cassette body 80 has a rectangular shape like a horizontally oriented standing matchbox. The cassette body 80 has a housing case 86 and an openable cover 87. The housing case 86 is movable with respect to the sewing apparatus body 2 in a state where the cassette body 80 is attached to the oscillating arm 40. The openable cover 87 is substantially fixed with respect to the sewing apparatus body 2. The housing case 86 accommodates the upper portion of the hollow needle 81 and the needle cover 83, the spool 82, the coil compression spring 84, and the movement prohibiting mechanism 85. The housing case 86 and the openable cover 87 are rotatably connected to each other at an upper right portion of the cassette body 80 (see FIGS. 15 and 16). The openable cover 87 travels between a closed position shown in FIG. 15 and an open position shown in FIG. 16 with respect to the housing case 86. A torsion spring 88 is attached to a pivot shaft that pivotally supports the openable cover 87 with respect to the housing case 86. The openable cover 87 is rotatably urged to the closed position by the torsion spring 88.

[0127] The sewing cartridge 5 includes a housing area 90 wherein the spool 82 is housed, an excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91, a backflow preventive mechanism 92, and a locking mechanism 93. The excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 prevents the spool 82 accommodated in the housing area 90 from rotating excessively in the thread supply direction so that excessive feeding of the thread T is prevented. The backflow preventive mechanism 92 prevents the thread T from being drawn back to the housing area 90 from the hollow needle 81 by applying resistance to the thread T drawn partway from the spool 82 to the hollow needle 81. The locking mechanism 93 locks the openable cover 87 in the closed position with respect to the housing case 86. The housing area 90, the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91, and a locking member 110 of the locking mechanism 93 are provided inside the housing case 86. The backflow preventive mechanism 92 and an engaged portion 87d of the locking mechanism 93 are provided inside the openable cover 87.

[0128] The U-shaped engagement groove 86a, which is formed in a lower left portion of the housing case 86, opens (to the left when viewed from the front) in a horizontal direction while the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the sewing apparatus body 2. The engagement recess 86b, that can engage the engaging member 44a provided to the oscillating arm 40, is formed in a lower right portion of the housing case 86.

[0129] When the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, the sewing cartridge 5 is inserted from the cartridge insertion slot 68, formed by the forward movement of the safety cover 3, while inclined leftwardly and downwardly. As shown in FIG. 19, the engagement groove 86a is engaged with the engaging pin 42. Then, the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted in the clockwise direction so as to be in a sewable position where the sewing cartridge 5 is placed in a horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 20, the engaging member 44a is engaged with and held by the oscillating arm 40 so as to be able to contact the lower right end portion of the sewing cartridge 5. The lower right end portion of the sewing cartridge 5 contacts the engaging member 44a slightly before the sewing cartridge 5 reaches the sewable position. The engaging member 44a is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction against an urging force from the torsion spring 44d, and then, the sewing cartridge 5 reaches the sewable position.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 21, the engaging member 44a is pivoted in the clockwise direction by the urging force from the torsion spring 44d to engage the engagement recess 86b, so that the engaging member 44a is returned by a small amount. Thus, the housing case 86 is regulated in its pivotal movement at the sewable position and is fixedly attached to the oscillating arm 40. When the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted to the sewable position, the engaging member 44a contacts the leaf spring 44c before engaging the engagement recess 86b. The sewing cartridge 5 is placed in the sewable position while elastically deforming the leaf spring 44c. That is, the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40 while being regulated in its pivotal movement and received by the leaf spring 44c with upward urging force in the sewable position.

[0131] The sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40 in a state where the oscillating arm 40 is in the upper limit position. As described above, when the housing case 86 is fixedly attached to the oscillating arm 40, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 21, an engaged portion 87a of the openable cover 87 engages a pin 19a provided to the engagement plate 19 of the sewing apparatus body 2 so as to abut against it from above. A guide pin 105 (FIG. 25) provided in the openable cover 87 slightly swings, although the housing case 86 fiercely swings. Thus, the openable cover 87 is substantially fixed with respect to the sewing apparatus body 2. The openable cover 87 may be completely fixed to the sewing apparatus body 2.

[0132] When the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the oscillating arm 40, the operating member 44b is pressed down (rotated clockwise) from the state shown in FIG. 21, so that the engaging member 44a is pivoted counterclockwise against the urging force from the torsion spring 44d via the operating member 44b. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 20, the engaging member 44a is disengaged from the engagement groove 86b. When the operating member 44b is completely pressed down, the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted counterclockwise to ascend to a position where the engaging member 44a is again disengaged from the engagement groove 86b by the urging force from the leaf spring 44c. Thus, the sewing cartridge 5 can be removed from the oscillating arm 40 in a manner reverse to the operation for attaching the sewing cartridge 5 to the oscillating arm 40. When the operating member 44b is not pressed, the operating member 44b is maintained in a substantially horizontal posture by the torsion spring 44d. The upper wall 10d of the casing 10 is cut away to continue to the cutaway space 10a so as to expose the operating member 44b from the top of the upper wall 10d. With respect to the cutaway portion, an opening is formed in the upper wall of the safety cover 3 in the sewing position. Accordingly, the operating member 44b can be operated from outside.

[0133] An opening 86c is formed in the front wall in front of the housing area 90 in the housing case 86 of the cassette body 80. A remaining amount of a thread T, wound around the spool 82 housed in the housing area 90 can be visually confirmed from the outside through the opening 86c. A thread color indicating portion 87b that indicates a same or similar color as the color of the thread T wound around the spool 82, housed in the housing area 90, is provided on a top surface of the openable cover 87 of the cassette body 80. A color chip that is the same as or similar to the color of the thread T may be adhered to the cassette body 80.

[0134] Flanges 82b of the spool 82 are transparent or translucent. Accordingly, a remaining amount of the thread T wound around the spool 82 housed in the housing area 90 can be visually confirmed from the opening 86c through the flange 82b. Because the thread color indicating portion 87b is provided on the top surface of the openable cover 87, the thread color indicating portion 87b is visually exposed to the outside of a state where the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the sewing apparatus body 2.

[0135] The hollow needle 81 is disposed at the left part (FIGS. 2, 3, 7, 8 and 12) of the inside of the cassette body 80 in a substantially standing posture. At least the upper end portion of the hollow needle 81 is supported by a tube-like needle support member 95 (FIGS. 15 and 16) fixedly attached to the housing case 86. The lower end portion of the hollow needle 81 protrudes from the bottom of the cassette body 80. A tip of the hollow needle 81 is pointed such that the tip is inclined rightwardly and downwardly from the left to the right (FIG. 12). When the sewing cartridge 5 is installed in the sewing apparatus body 2, the hollow needle 81 is positioned so that its extreme tip faces a center-of-swing side of the oscillating arm.

[0136] In FIG. 15, a circular wall 90a, which is integrally formed with the housing case 86 and protrudes therefrom, forms the housing area 90 in the right half in the housing case 86. The spool 82 housed in the housing area 90 is fit onto a shaft 90b of the housing case 86 and is rotatably supported by the shaft 90b. The thread T extending from the spool 82 is fed into the hole formed in the hollow needle 81 from above via the backflow preventive mechanism 92 from a thread passing aperture 90C formed in the circular wall 90a. The thread T is drawn to the outside of the sewing cartridge 5 from the lower end of the hollow needle 81.

[0137] The thread T, wound around the spool 82, is not very heavy. The hole in the hollow needle 81 is formed so that the thread T can be threaded through the hollow needle 81. A sewing operation is performed when a certain length of the thread T is drawn from the lower end of the hollow needle 81.

[0138] The needle cover 83 can move between a cover position where the needle cover 83 covers the tip of the hollow needle 81 and a retracted position where the needle cover 83 retracts to a position above the cover position so that the hollow needle 81 can pass through the work cloth 70. The needle cover 83 also serves as a presser foot that holds the work cloth 70 at the time of sewing. The needle cover 83 includes a cover portion 83a and a guided portion 83b extending upward from the right end of the cover portion 83a. The cover portion 83a and the guided portion 83b are integrated into a single part to form the needle cover 83.

[0139] The cover portion 83a is formed with a needle passing hole 83c through which the hollow needle 81 passes. The guided portion 83b is vertically movably guided by the housing case 86. The coil compression spring 84 is interposed between the guided portion 83b and the housing case 86. A protrusion 83d, protruding rightward in FIG. 15, is provided at a middle portion of the guided portion 83b in the up and down direction. In a state where the protrusion 83d abuts against an upper end of a rib 86d that guides the guided portion 83b in the up and down direction, the needle cover 83 is in the cover position. Further, the tip of the hollow needle 81 is positioned inside of the needle passing hole 83c, so that the tip of the hollow needle 83 is covered with the cover portion 83a. As the needle cover 83 moves upward with respect to the hollow needle 81, the needle cover 83 is placed in the retracted position. Thus, the hollow needle 81 passes through the needle passing hole 83c and protrudes from the bottom of the cover portion 83a.

[0140] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 and 22 to 24, the movement prohibiting mechanism 85 has a movement prohibiting member 100 disposed at a middle, lower portion, in the right and left direction, inside of the housing case 86. The movement prohibiting member 100 includes a vertical pivot shaft portion 100a, a locking portion 100b disposed on the left of the pivot shaft portion 100a (FIGS. 15, 16, 22 and 23) and an engaged portion 100c, that engages the lock release pin 43, disposed on the right of the pivot shaft portion 100a. The vertical pivot shaft portion 100a, the locking portion 100b, and the engaged portion 100c are integral and form a unitary structure. In the movement prohibiting member 100, the pivot shaft portion 100a is pivotally supported to the housing case 86, so that the movement prohibiting member 100 is rotated about the pivot shaft portion 100a. The movement prohibiting member 100 cannot move vertically.

[0141] The locking portion 100b is relatively long in the up and down direction. The lower end of the locking portion 100b substantially abuts against an upper surface of the protrusion 83d of the needle cover 83 in the cover position, that is, where the lower surface of the protrusion 83d is abutted against the upper surface of the rib 86d. In this state, the locking portion 100b is positioned between a rib 86e, in the cassette body 80, and the protrusion 83d. Thus, the needle cover 83 is locked in the cover position, and cannot move upward. The movement prohibiting member 100 can be rotated between a locked position (see FIG. 22) and an unlocked position (see FIG. 23) where the locking portion 100b is moved out of the way of the up and down movement of the protrusion 83d between the rib 86e and the rib 86d (FIG. 15). Therefore, when the movement prohibiting member 100 is placed in the unlocked position, the needle cover 83 can be movable if the needle cover 83 is pushed upwardly against the elastic force from the coil compressing spring 84. The needle cover 83 is pushed upwardly when the sewing cartridge 5 is moved to the sewing position by the movement of the oscillating arm 40. At that time, the needle cover 83 is pushed against a needle plate 31d, having a hole through which the hollow needle 81 can pass, formed on the support frame 31, via the work cloth 70 (see FIG. 8).

[0142] A torsion spring 100d is attached to the pivot shaft portion 100a. The movement prohibiting member 100 is rotatably urged to the locked position by the torsion spring 100d. In a state where the sewing cartridge 5 is not attached to the sewing apparatus body 2, the movement prohibiting member 100 is maintained in the locked position. The rear wall of the housing case 86 is formed with an opening 86f corresponding to the engaged portion 100c (FIGS. 15 and 16). When the movement prohibiting member 100 is in the locked position, the engaged portion 100c protrudes toward the outside from the opening 86f (FIG. 22).

[0143] As shown in FIG. 24, the opening 86f extends to the lower wall of the housing case 86. The bottom of the engaged portion 100c is formed with a tapered portion 100e that inclines externally and upwardly. As described above, the lock release pin 43 is provided to the oscillating arm 40. When the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, the lock release pin 43 enters into the opening 86f from the bottom and engages the tapered portion 100e of the engaged portion 100c. As a result, the movement prohibiting member 100 is rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position against the urging force from the torsion spring 100d (FIGS. 15 and 16), so that the needle cover 83 is unlocked and can be movable upwardly as described above.

[0144] In the state where the sewing cartridge 5 is not attached to the sewing apparatus body 2, as described above, the movement prohibiting member 100 prohibits the needle cover 83 in the cover position from moving therefrom. In the state where the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the sewing apparatus body 2, the needle cover 83 is allowed to move from the cover position to the retracted position.

[0145] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 has a contact 101 that can contact one of the flanges 82b of the spool 82, and a torsion spring 102 that urges the contact 101 against the flange 82b. By the friction produced between the contact 101 and the flanges 82b, the spool 82 is prevented from excessively rotating in the thread supply direction to prevent the excessive feeding of the thread T. The contact 101 is pivotally supported by a shaft 103 disposed near the housing area 90 in the housing case 86. The shaft 103 is provided with the torsion spring 102. The tip of the contact 101 contacts the flange 82b of the spool 82 in the housing area 90 by passing through an aperture 90d formed in the circular wall 90a.

[0146] As shown in FIGS. 15, 16, 18 and 25, the backflow preventive mechanism 92 has two backflow preventive members, the guide pin 105 and a leaf spring 106 abutting against the guide pin 105. Between the guide pin 105 and the leaf spring 106, a thread passing portion 107, which has extremely small clearance, is provided. The thread T drawn from the spool 82 is passed through the thread passing portion 107. A frictional resistance is applied to the thread T due to the contact of the guide pin 105 and the leaf spring 106.

[0147] Both ends of the guide pin 105 are fixed in respective bosses 87c formed at the left part (FIGS. 15, 16 and 25) of the openable cover 87. The leaf spring 106 is inserted into the openable cover 87 so as to urge the guide pin 105 in a leftwardly and downwardly inclined posture. A slender portion 105a, having a smaller diameter is formed at the middle portion of the guide pin 105. The thread passing portion 107 is formed by the slender portion 105a and the leaf spring 106. Thereby, the thread T passing through the thread passing portion 107 has an appropriate frictional resistance applied thereto and the thread T can be surely guided into the hollow needle 81.

[0148] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 and 26, the locking mechanism 93 integrally locks the openable cover 87 to the housing case 86 in a state where the sewing cartridge 5 is not attached to the sewing apparatus body 2. The locking mechanism 93 has the locking member 110 disposed on the left of the housing case 86. The locking member 110 is formed with pivot portions 110a and 110b, an engaging portion 110c, and an engaged portion 110d as an integrated structure. The pivot portions 110a and 110b are supported by the housing case 86 such that the locking member 110 pivots about a vertical axis. The locking member 110 can be switched between the locked position (see FIG. 15) and the unlocked position (see FIG. 16).

[0149] The locking member 110 is regulated in its vertical movement. The locking member 110 is urged to the locked position by a torsion spring 111. In FIG. 15, the engaging portion 110c protrudes leftward from the upper portion of the locking member 110. The engaged portion 110d protrudes leftward from the lower end portion of the locking member 110. The engaging portion 110c and the engaged portion 110d protrude toward the left from apertures 86g, 86h, respectively, which are formed in the upper portion of the left side wall and a back wall of the engagement recess 86a.

[0150] When the sewing cartridge 5 is not attached to the oscillating arm 40, the openable cover 87 is in the closed position. In this state, the engaging portion 110c of the locking member 110 in the locked position engages the engaged portion 87d protruding rightward (inward) in FIG. 15 from the front wall of the openable cover 87 from the above. Accordingly, the openable cover 87 cannot be moved upward with respect to the housing case 86 and is integrally locked to the housing case 86 in the closed position.

[0151] When the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, as described above, the engaging pin 42 rightwardly presses and moves the engaged portion 10d of the locking member 110 as the engagement recess 86a of the housing case 86 engages the engaging pin 42 of the oscillating arm 40. Therefore, the locking member 110 is switched to the unlocked position from the locked position. In this state, the engaging portion 110c of the locking member 110 is in the unlocked position and is disengaged from the engaged portion 87d. The lock is released, so that the openable cover 87 can be moved upward with respect to the housing case 86.

[0152] Usually, the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the oscillating arm 40 in a state where the openable cover 87 is in the closed position. Therefore, the openable cover 87 is locked to the housing case 86 in the locked position immediately after the sewing cartridge 5 is detached. If the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the oscillating arm 40 in a state where the openable cover 87 is in a position other than the closed position, the locking member 110 is switched to the locked position with the openable cover 87 unlocked. However, the openable cover 87 is rotated to the closed position by the urging force from the torsion spring 88 because a tapered portion inclined leftwardly is formed at the left end portion of the engaging portion 110c of the locking member 110. At that time, the engaged portion 87d temporarily presses and moves the locking member 110 toward the unlocked position via the tapered portion, so that the openable cover 87 can be switched to the closed position.

[0153] The sewing operation performed in the sewing apparatus 1 and stitches to be formed on the work cloth 70 by the sewing operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 to 34.

[0154] In a state where the embroidery frame 4 having the work cloth 70 and the sewing cartridge 5 are attached to the sewing apparatus body 2, the sewing cartridge 5 is vertically moved by the cartridge driving mechanism 12. At that time, the hollow needle 81, the needle cover 83 (when the needle cover 83 is kept away from the work cloth 70), the spool 82, and the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 move up and down with the housing case 86. However, the openable cover 87 is supported by the pin 19a and is fixed with respect to the sewing apparatus body 2, so that the backflow preventive mechanism 92 provided therein hardly moves up and down.

[0155] When the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40 and the first sewing operation is performed, as shown in FIG. 27, a certain length of the thread T is drawn from the lower end of the hollow needle 81. When the housing case 86 descends from this state, as shown in FIG. 28, the needle cover 83, acting as a presser foot holds the work cloth 70 and the thread T on the work cloth 70. When the needle cover 83 holds the work cloth 70, the needle cover 83 comes to a substantial standstill. Then, the hollow needle 81 descends with respect to the needle cover 83 and penetrates the work cloth 70. At that time, the hollow needle 81 is substantially perpendicular to the work cloth 70 at the instant when the hollow needle 81 penetrates the work cloth 70. The extreme tip of the hollow needle 81 faces the center-of-swing side of the oscillating arm 40, so that the work cloth 70 is prevented from being displaced.

[0156] When the hollow needle 81 penetrates the elastic film member 73, the thread T extending from the hollow needle 81 is maintained in the work cloth 70 by a thread holding force due to the elasticity of the elastic film member 73. In this state, when the hollow needle 81 (the spool 82 and the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91) further descends, the thread T is drawn from the spool 82 against the draw resistance for the thread T provided by the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 and the backflow preventive mechanism 92, and a free loop 75 is formed on a reverse side of the work cloth 70. At this stage, a half of the thread T forming the free loop 75 exists inside of the hollow needle 81.

[0157] While the hollow needle 81 penetrates the work cloth 70 and descends to a lower limit position, the thread T extending from the hollow needle 81 is pulled toward the reverse side of the work cloth 70 and more thread T is drawn from the spool 82. Thus, the free loop 75 is formed on the reverse side of the work cloth 70. Further, the thread T is prevented, up to a point, from being pulled toward the reverse side of the work cloth 70 before the hollow needle 81 penetrates the work cloth 70, if the thread T extending from the hollow needle 81 is held between the needle cover 83 and the work cloth 70.

[0158] Next, when the housing case 86 is moved upward, as shown in FIG. 29, the hollow needle 81 ascends from the lower limit position and the tip of the hollow needle 81 is pulled from the work cloth 70. Then, the work cloth 70, held by the needle cover 83, becomes free from the pressure and the needle cover 83 ascends to an upper limit position together with the hollow needle 81. At that time, only the hollow needle 81 ascends while the thread T is fixed or set between the backflow preventive mechanism 92 stopped in a certain position and the work cloth 70. The free loop 75 formed on the reverse side of the work cloth 70 is held and the entire free loop 75 is exposed externally. When the hollow needle 81 moves to the upper limit position, the spool 82 and the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 also move to the upper limit position. At that time, the thread T is not drawn from the backflow preventive mechanism 92 to the hollow needle 81, and the backflow preventive mechanism 92 and the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 apply resistance to drawing the thread to the thread T. Accordingly, the thread T extending between the spool 82 and the backflow preventive mechanism 92 becomes loosened.

[0159] Then, as shown in FIG. 30, as the work cloth 70 is moved in a horizontal direction, the thread T is pulled by the thread holding force and the loosened thread T extending between the spool 82 and the backflow preventive mechanism 92. The thread T is pulled via the backflow preventive mechanism 92 because the thread T extending from the hollow needle 81 is held by the work cloth 70. At that time, the thread holding force by the work cloth 70 is far greater than the resistance to the draw of the thread by the backflow preventive mechanism 92, so that there is no possibility of pulling out the thread T forming the free loop 75 toward the side of the hollow needle 81.

[0160] After the work cloth 70 is moved in the horizontal direction, the housing case 86 descends, and the needle cover 83 holds the work cloth 70 and the hollow needle 81 penetrates the work cloth 70 as shown in FIG. 31. While the hollow needle 81 descends from the upper limit position to the lower limit position, the remaining loosened thread T extending between the spool 82 and the backflow preventive mechanism 92 is pulled and then the thread T is drawn from the spool 82. Resistance is applied to the drawn thread T by drawing the thread by the excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 and the backflow preventive mechanism 92. As described above, the resistance to drawing the thread is smaller than the thread holding force of the work cloth 70. Further, thread T can be pressed against the work cloth 70 by the needle cover 83. Accordingly, a new free loop 75 is formed without pulling the previous free loop 75 from the work cloth 70.

[0161] Next, as shown in FIG. 32, the hollow needle 81 and the needle cover 83 ascend. Then, the operations shown in FIGS. 30 to 32 are repeatedly performed. As described above, the thread T is left in the work cloth 70 during every sewing operation by the thread holding force produced by the elasticity of the work cloth 70 and a plurality of free loops 75 are formed on the reverse side of the work cloth 70 by the thread T, as shown in FIG. 33. Thus, stitches forming an embroidery pattern 79 are formed on the surface of the work cloth 70. When a double-sided adhesive tape 77 is adhered to fix the free loops 75 on the reverse side of the work cloth 70, a patterned cloth 78, as shown in FIG. 34, is obtained.

[0162] Accordingly, the free loops 75 do not come off or out, so that the thread T does not need to be fixed by other thread or the thread of the previous stitch and following stitch. The embroidery pattern 79 formed on the work cloth 70 is stable without unraveling. The patterned cloth 78 can be attached to various things via the double-sided adhesive tape 77 as an emblem. Instead of the double-sided adhesive tape 77, an adhesive agent may be applied to the reverse side of the work cloth 70 in layers. A tape may be formed of the adhesive agent and the tape may be used to fix the free loops 75 on the reverse side of the work cloth 70.

[0163] There are a plurality of free loops 75 on the reverse side of the work cloth 70. Accordingly, unevenness may develop in the double-sided adhesive tape 77 when the double-sided adhesive tape 77 is adhered to the reverse side of the work cloth 77. When the work cloth 70 is adhered to clothes via the double-sided adhesive tape 77 as an emblem, the emblem is liable to come off because the cloth is soft. However, adhesion of the work cloth 70 can be improved because of the unevenness of the double-sided adhesive tape 77. The unevenness develops at every free loop or every several free loops depending on the materials of the thread and the double-sided adhesive tape used.

[0164] As shown in FIGS. 35 to 41, the sewing apparatus 1 is provided with a thread cutting mechanism 130 that cuts a thread T extending between the sewing cartridge 5 and the work cloth 70 attached to the embroidery frame 4 when the sewing cartridge 5 attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 is changed to the other sewing cartridge 5. As described above, the sewing apparatus body 2 is provided with the operating member 44b that is to be operated to detach the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2 (the oscillating arm 40). In response to the operation of the operating member 44b and the detachment of the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2, the thread cutting mechanism 130 is actuated so as to cut the thread T.

[0165] The thread cutting mechanism 130 includes a thread cutting lever 131, a link mechanism 132 that is connected to the left end portion of the thread cutting lever 131, a pair of cutting blades 133, 134 (FIG. 37) that open and close via the link mechanism 132, and an engagement mechanism 135. The thread cutting lever 131 is pivotally supported to the engagement plate 19 near the operating member 44b and straightly extends toward the left. The engagement mechanism 135 releasably engages the right portion of the sewing cartridge 5 with the thread cutting lever 131 in a state where the engagement groove 86a formed in the sewing cartridge 5 engages the engaging pin 42.

[0166] By the operation of the operating member 44b to detach the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2, the thread cutting lever 131 and the link mechanism 132 become movable. In response to the detachment of the sewing cartridge 5, the thread cutting lever 131 and the link mechanism 132 are moved. As a result, the thread cutting mechanism 130 actuates to cut the thread T via the movement of the thread cutting lever 131 and the link mechanism 132.

[0167] The thread cutting lever 131 is disposed behind the engagement plate 19. Through holes 131a (see FIG. 40) are formed in the thread cutting lever 131 at its right end portion. The thread cutting lever 131 is pivotally supported to the engagement plate 19 using a pivot shaft 140, extending in the front and rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 35 to 37, the thread cutting lever 131 can vertically travel between a lower limit position shown in FIG. 38 and an upper limit position shown in FIG. 39. Upper and lower ends of a coil tension spring 141 are connected with the thread cutting lever 131 and the engagement plate 19, respectively. The thread cutting lever 131 is elastically urged to the lower limit position by the coil tension spring 141.

[0168] The link mechanism 132 has four links 143 to 146, which are substantially straight-shape members. The links 143 and 144 are rotatably connected to the left end portion of the thread cutting lever 131 via a shaft 147 at their upper end portions (FIG. 35). The lower end portions of the links 143 and 144 are rotatably connected to the upper end portions of the links 145 and 146 via shafts 148 and 149, respectively. The links 145 and 146 are rotatably supported to the engagement plate 19 via a shaft 150 at their middle portion in the length of the links 145 and 146. The links 145 and 146 are provided with cutting blades 133 and 134, respectively, at the lower end portions. When the thread cutting lever 131 is placed in the lower limit position, the shafts 147 and 150 become very close to each other and the links 145 and 146 having the cutting blades 133 and 134 are opened to the maximum. When the thread cutting lever 131 is placed in the upper limit position, the shafts 147 and 150 are apart from each other and the links 145 and 146 having the cutting blades 133 and 134 are closed.

[0169] The engagement mechanism 135 has a thread cutting lever pawl 151 that is rotatably supported in front of the thread cutting lever 131 at the middle of its length. The sewing cartridge 5 is provided with a pin-like protrusion 152, extending toward the rear, at its lower right portion. The thread cutting lever pawl 151 has a pawl portion 151a (disposed in a side of the link mechanism 132 in FIG. 35), extending outward in a diameter of the thread cutting lever pawl 151 with respect to its axis of rotation, and a spring connecting portion 15b (disposed in a side of the operating member 44b in FIG. 35). The protrusion 151 provided to the sewing cartridge 5 can engage the pawl portion 151a. The thread cutting lever pawl 151 is rotatably supported to a protrusion 131b (See FIG. 40) that protrudes toward the front, from a some midpoint in the length of the thread cutting lever 131.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 41, in the thread cutting lever pawl 151, the pawl portion 151a and the spring connecting portion 151b extend in almost opposite directions from each other. A coil tension spring 153 (FIG. 36), which connects with the pivot shaft 140 of the thread cutting lever 131 at its right end, is hooked in a hole 151c, formed in the spring connecting portion 151b, at its left end. The spring connecting portion 151b is pulled by the coil tension spring 153, so that the pawl portion 151a extends leftward along the thread cutting lever 131 and the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is placed in an engagement position.

[0171] A swingable range of the thread cutting lever 131 (FIG. 36) is restricted by two engagement portions (not shown) provided above and below the thread cutting lever 131. When the thread cutting lever 131 is restricted (stopped) its swing, the thread cutting lever pawl 151 rotates. The thread cutting lever pawl 151 can freely rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise from the engagement position. However, the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is urged to the engagement position by the coil tension spring 153. The engagement plate 19 is formed with a cutaway portion 19c that is cut away from above so that the protrusion 152 of the sewing cartridge 5 can engage the thread cutting lever pawl 151.

[0172] The operation of the thread cutting mechanism 130 will be described. As shown in FIG. 35, when the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted clockwise in a state where the engagement groove 86a of the sewing cartridge 5 is engaged with the engaging pin 42 of the oscillating arm 40. In process of attaching the sewing cartridge 5 to the oscillating arm 40, before the operating member 44a engages the engagement recess 86b in the sewing cartridge 5, the protrusion 152 engages the pawl portion 151a from above, so that the movement of thread cutting lever 131 is restricted. Then, the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is pivoted counterclockwise from the engagement position due to a pressing force from the sewing cartridge 5.

[0173] As shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, in the state where the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40 with the engaging member 44a engaged with the engagement recess 86b, the protrusion 152 and the pawl portion 151a is disengaged by the rotation of the thread cutting lever pawl 151. The thread cutting lever pawl 151 is rotated in the clockwise direction due to the urging force from the coil tension spring 153 so that the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is returned to the engagement position. The pawl portion 151a is positioned above the protrusion 152. In this state, the thread cutting lever 131 is held at the lower limit position and the cutting blades 133 and 134 are opened.

[0174] When the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the oscillating arm 40, first, as shown in FIG. 36, the engaging member 44a is disengaged from the engagement recess 86b by operating the operating member 44b. As a result, the sewing cartridge 5 is brought into a state where the sewing cartridge 5 can be detached from the oscillating arm 40 at any moment by rotating in the counterclockwise direction about the engaging pin 42. As the sewing cartridge 5 is further rotated in the counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, the protrusion 152 of the sewing cartridge 5 engages the pawl portion 151a from below and the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is slightly rotated in the clockwise direction, so that the thread cutting lever pawl 151 cannot be rotated by itself. Therefore, the thread cutting lever 131 is rotated up to the upper limit position together with the thread cutting lever pawl 151. In the meantime, the cutting blades 133 and 134 are closed, thereby cutting the thread T.

[0175] The protrusion 152 of the sewing cartridge 5 is leftwardly lifted. Therefore, when the thread cutting lever 131 is rotated up to the upper limit position, the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is further rotated. As a result, the protrusion 152 and the pawl portion 151a are disengaged. Then, the thread cutting lever 131 is returned to the lower limit position due to the urging force from the coil tension spring 141, so that the thread cutting lever pawl 151 is also returned to the engagement position due to the urging force from the coil tension spring 153.

[0176] In order to surely cut the thread T by the cutting blades 133 and 134, the thread T is required to be placed between the opened cutting blades 133 and 134. The thread T is moved to the position by the control of the movement of the embroidery frame 4 by the controller 13 (FIG. 2, the thread cutting preparation processing). The thread T extends between the sewing cartridge 5 and a last stitch position on the work cloth 70. That is, by the thread cutting preparation processing, the embroidery frame 4 is moved backward so that the last stitch position is placed behind the hollow needle 81. Thus, the thread T can be placed between the cutting blades 133 and 134 with the thread T stretched.

[0177] As described above, the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 by pressing down the operating member 44b provided on the sewing apparatus body 2. In response to the operation of the operating member 44b and the detachment of the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2, the thread T can be cut by actuating the thread cutting mechanism 130.

[0178] That is, first, by the operation of the operating member 44b, it can be determined that the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the sewing apparatus body 2. Then, before the sewing cartridge 5 is completely removed from the oscillating arm 40, the thread cutting mechanism 130 can be actuated to cut the thread T. It is unnecessary to separately provide an operating member for operating the thread cutting mechanism 130. Accordingly, the number of operating processes can be prevented from being increased.

[0179] With the structure described above, the sewing cartridge 5 can be prevented from being detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 without cutting the thread T or the thread T can be prevented from being mistakenly cut, although the sewing cartridge 5 is not expected to be detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 (or to be changed to the other). That is, the thread cutting for detaching (changing) the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2 can be easily and surely performed. Further, the color of the thread T (the sewing cartridge 5) can also be easily performed.

[0180] Although drawings are omitted, a sensor that detects the operation of the operating member 44b and the detachment of the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2, and an actuator, such as an electric motor, which actuates the thread cutting mechanism 130 may be provided. With this structure, the actuator is actuated according to a detection signal provided by the sensor to actuate the thread cutting mechanism 130. In this case, the engagement mechanism 135 is removed. The operating member 44b may be provided to the sewing cartridge 5. The thread cutting mechanism 130 may be provided to the sewing cassette 5.

[0181] A modification to the thread cutting mechanism 130 will be described with reference to FIGS. 48 to 54. The sewing apparatus 1 (FIG. 2) is provided with the thread cutting mechanism 130 that cuts the thread T extending from the sewing cartridge 5 and connecting the sewing cartridge 5 and the work cloth 70 in the embroidery frame 4 when the sewing cartridge 5 mounted in the sewing apparatus body 2 is replaced with a different one. As described above, the sewing apparatus body 2 includes the operating member 44b that is used to remove the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2 (the oscillating arm 40). In response to the operation of the operating member 44b, the thread cutting mechanism 130 is actuated so as to cut the thread T.

[0182] The thread cutting mechanism 130 includes a thread cutting lever 131, a link mechanism 132, a pair of cutting blades 133 and 134, and an engagement mechanism 135. The thread cutting lever 131 is pivotally supported on the back of the engagement plate 19 near the operating member 44b and straightly extends to the left. The link mechanism 132 is linked with the left end portion of the thread cutting lever 131. The cutting blades 133 and 134 are opened and closed via the link mechanism 132. The engagement mechanism 135 actuates the thread cutting lever 131 by the operation of the operating member 44b. The link mechanism 132 functions as a quadric chain mechanism.

[0183] By the operation of the operating member 44b to detach the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2 (FIG. 2), the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted on the engaging pin 42 (FIG. 50) to a position where the sewing cartridge 5 can be detached, and immediately afterward, a thread cutting operation is performed by the link mechanism 132 via the thread cutting lever 131. The thread cutting lever 131 and the link mechanism 132 correspond to a movable member.

[0184] As shown in FIG. 53, a tensile coil spring 141 extends between the thread cutting lever 131 and the engagement plate 19, so that the free end side of the thread cutting lever 131 (toward the link mechanism 132) is urged downwardly. As shown in FIGS. 48, 51, and 53, an abutment pin 136 protrudes frontward at a base end of the thread cutting lever 131. The abutment pin 136 faces an undersurface of the operating member 44b through a guide slot 137 provided in the engagement plate 19. When the operating member 44b is pivoted downward more than a specified angle, the free end side of the thread cutting lever 131 is pivoted upward via the abutment pin 136. The engagement mechanism 135 comprises the above.

[0185] As shown in FIG. 53, the link mechanism 132 includes a pair of links 145 and 146 having the cutting blades 133 and 134 respectively, and a pair of links 143 and 144 that drive the links 145 and 146. The links 145 and 146 function as scissors-like links, and the links 143 and 144 function as coupled links. Top end portions of the links 143 and 144 are pivotally connected to the left end portion of the thread cutting lever 131 via a common shaft 147. Bottom end portions of the links 143 and 144 are pivotally connected to top end portions of the links 145 and 146 via shafts 148 and 149, respectively. Middle portions of the links 145 and 146 along their lengths are pivotally supported at the engagement plate 19 (FIG. 48) via a common shaft 150. The cutting blades 133 and 134 are formed in face to face relation at lower end portions of the links 145 and 146. When the thread cutting lever 131 is in a lower limit position, the shafts 147 and 150 come closest to each other, and the cutting blades 133 and 134 are opened maximally (FIG. 48). When the thread cutting lever 131 is in an upper limit position, the shafts 147 and 150 are separated from each other, and the cutting blades 133 and 134 are closed (FIG. 53). The link mechanism 132 operating as the quadric chain mechanism includes four links and operates like lazy tongs.

[0186] The thread cutting lever 131 is regulated in its pivotal movement by the guide slot 137 provided in the engagement plate 19 (FIG. 48) and the abutment pin 136. When the top end of the abutment pin 136 makes contact with the top end of the guide slot 137, the thread cutting lever 131 is in its lower limit position (FIG. 48). When the bottom end of the abutment pin 136 makes contact with the bottom end of the guide slot 137, the thread cutting lever 131 is in its upper limit position (FIG. 53).

[0187] The operation of the thread cutting mechanism 130 will be described with reference to FIGS. 35, and 48 to 54.

[0188] As shown in FIG. 48, the thread cutting lever 131 is urged toward the lower limit position by the tensile coil spring 141 and the cutting blades 133 and 134 are kept open.

[0189] When the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40, the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted clockwise with the engaging pin 42 engaged with the engagement recess 86a. When the engaging pin 42 is engaged with the engagement recess 86a, the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to the oscillating arm 40.

[0190] As shown in FIGS. 48 and 49, in order to surely cut the thread T by the cutting blades 133 and 134 for replacement of the sewing cartridge 5, the thread T is required to be disposed between the opened cutting blades 133 and 134 when the oscillating arm 40 is lifted to the upper limit position (in a state where the hollow needle 81 is far away from the work cloth 70 in the embroidery frame 4). The thread T is moved to the position by the control of the movement of the embroidery frame 4 by a controller, not shown (thread cutting preparation processing). The thread T extends between the sewing cartridge 5 and a last stitch position on the work cloth 70. By the thread cutting preparation processing, the embroidery frame 4 is moved backward, so that the last stitch position is situated behind the hollow needle 81. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 49, the thread T extends between the bottom of the hollow needle 81 and the last stitch point on the work cloth 70 straightly on the skew and the thread T is tautly disposed between the opened cutting blades 133 and 134.

[0191] When the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the oscillating arm 40, as shown in FIG. 51, the operating member 44b is pressed downward so that the engaging member 44a is disengaged from the engagement groove 86b, and the sewing cartridge 5 is rotated about the engaging pin 42 (FIG. 49) counterclockwise by the cartridge setting member 160 so as to be in a position where the sewing cartridge 5 can be detached. When the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted counterclockwise, the needle cover 83 protruding from the bottom of the sewing cartridge 5 is pivoted in a direction to be away from the engaging pin 42 (FIG. 49). Thus, as shown in FIG. 52, an angle θ between the thread T drawn from the bottom of the hollow needle 81 to the work cloth 70 and the surface of the work cloth 70 becomes greater than that shown in FIG. 49.

[0192] When the operating member 44b is further pressed downward (FIG. 53), the free end side of the thread cutting lever 131 greatly ascends, and a space between the links 143 and 144 in the link mechanism 132 becomes narrow. When the links 145 and 146 are closed via the links 143 and 144, they can sandwich the thread T at a position upwardly away from the work cloth 70. Thus, when the cutting blades 133 and 134 are closed, the thread T can be cut without damage on the work cloth 70.

[0193] Thus, when the operating member 44b provided on the sewing apparatus body 2 is pressed downward, the sewing cartridge 5 can be detached from the sewing apparatus body 2, and further, the thread cutting mechanism 130 is actuated to perform cutting of the thread T.

[0194] When the operating member 44b is completely pressed downward, the sewing cartridge 5 is positioned in a posture where the sewing cartridge 5 is detachable, and the thread cutting mechanism 130 is actuated before the sewing cartridge 5 is completely detached. Thus, there is no need to provide an operating member to actuate the thread cutting mechanism 130. Accordingly, the number of operating processes can be decreased.

[0195] Thus, the sewing cartridge 5 can be prevented from being detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 without cutting the thread T, and the thread T can be prevented from being cut by mistake, although the sewing cartridge 5 is not expected to be detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 (or to be changed to the other). That is, cutting of the thread T, which is required for detaching (changing) the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2, can be reliably and simply performed, and the replacement of the spool (thread color change) can be further simply performed.

[0196] Although drawings are omitted, a sensor that detects the operation of the operating member 44b and the detachment of the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2, and an actuator, such as an electric motor, which actuates the thread cutting mechanism 130 may be provided. With this structure, the actuator is actuated according to a detection signal provided by the sensor to actuate the thread cutting mechanism 130.

[0197] The sewing cartridge 5 is not used in the thread cutting mechanism 130. Thus, the thread cutting mechanism 130 may be applicable to a swing machine where a standard sewing needle is used to perform embroidering in cooperation with an upper thread and a lower thread. In this case, the oscillating arm 40 that supports and moves the sewing cartridge 5 up and down is not required.

[0198] According to the sewing cartridge 5 described above, the needle cover 83 can cover at least the tip of the hollow needle 81 in both states where the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to and detached from the sewing apparatus body 2. Further, the needle cover 83 placed at a cover position can be inhibited from moving therefrom by the movement prohibiting mechanism 85, so that the tip of the hollow needle 81 can be prevented from being exposed to the outside due to careless handling. Accordingly, particularly when the sewing cartridge 5 is attached to or detached from the sewing apparatus body 2, damage to clothes due to the hollow needle 81 can be prevented and the sewing cartridge 5 can be easily and safely handled.

[0199] The hollow needle 81 is fixedly provided so that the portion of the tip side of the hollow needle 81 protrudes from the cassette body 80. Sewing operations can be performed by which the hollow needle 81 vertically reciprocates with the sewing cartridge 5 and the hollow needle 81 passes through the work cloth 70. Further, the needle cover 83 also serves as a presser foot. Therefore, a small sewing cartridge 5 having a simple structure can be provided. Further, the mechanism that reciprocates the hollow needle 81 (the sewing cartridge 5) can be simplified, thereby contributing to miniaturization of the sewing apparatus 1.

[0200] When the sewing cartridge 5 is being attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 it is held in a posture that is different from its posture when the sewing cartridge 5 is in place. Then, the engagement groove 86a is engaged with the engaging pin 42 and the sewing cartridge 5 is rotated about the engaging pin 42. Thus, the sewing cartridge 5 can be placed in the sewable position. At that time, the engaging member 44a engages the engagement recess 86b, so that the rotation of sewing cartridge 5 can be regulated. That is, the sewing cartridge 5 can be easily and surely attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 and it can be easily determined whether the sewing cartridge 5 is attached in the proper position.

[0201] The structure of the sewing cartridge 5 may be partially changed as follows. The needle cover 83 may be structured such that the position of the needle cover 83 is manually switched between a cover position and a retracted position. In this case, the coil compression spring 84 that urges the needle cover 83 to the cover position can be removed. Instead of the hollow needle 81, a standard sewing needle may be used.

[0202] The excessive rotation preventive mechanism 91 may be structured such that frictional resistance is produced by which a spool holder or other member or portion makes contact with the spool 82, instead of by the contact 101 urged by the torsion spring 102 pressed against the flange 82b of the spool 82.

[0203] In the backflow preventive mechanism 92, a recess may be formed in the leaf spring 106 to provide a thread passing portion, instead of forming the slender portion 105a in the guide pin 105.

[0204] Instead of forming the opening 86c, at least one of the housing case 86 and the openable cover 87 may be formed of a transparent or a translucent material so that the remaining amount of the thread T can be visually confirmed from outside through the housing case 86 and/or the openable cover 87.

[0205] The thread color indicating portion 87b may be provided in a portion other than the top surface of the openable cover 87 of the cassette body 80. The cassette body 80 may be partially or entirely colored with the same/similar color as the color of the thread T wound around the spool 82 contained in the cassette body 80.

[0206] Instead of the engaging pin 42 provided on the oscillating arm 40 and the engagement groove 86a formed in the sewing cartridge 5, an engaging pin may be provided in the sewing cartridge 5 and an engagement groove to which the engaging pin is fitted may be formed at the oscillating arm 40, thereby the sewing cartridge 5 can be pivoted to be attached to or detached from the oscillating arm 40.

[0207] As a sewing auxiliary mechanism, it is effective to adopt the thread cutting mechanism that cuts the thread T extending between the hollow needle 81 and the last stitch position on the work cloth 70. However, other mechanisms such as a tension disk mechanism can be adopted.

[0208] In the aforementioned embodiment, first, by the operation of the operating member 44b, it can be determined that the sewing cartridge 5 is detached from the sewing apparatus body 2. Then, before the sewing cartridge 5 is completely removed from the oscillating arm 40, the thread cutting mechanism 130 can be actuated to cut the thread T. It is unnecessary to separately provide an operating member for operating the thread cutting mechanism 130. Accordingly, the number of operating processes can be decreased. With the structure described above, the sewing cartridge 5 can be prevented from being detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 without cutting the thread T or the thread T can be prevented from being mistakenly cut, although the sewing cartridge 5 is not expected to be detached from the sewing apparatus body 2 (or to be changed to the other). That is, the thread cutting for detaching (changing) the sewing cartridge 5 from the sewing apparatus body 2 can be easily and surely performed. Further, changing the color of the thread T (the sewing cartridge 5) can also be easily performed.

[0209] A control system will be described with reference to FIG. 42. The operational controller 13 of the sewing apparatus 1 has a computer including a CPU 13a, a ROM 13b, and a RAM 13c, an input/output interface 13d, and an input/output terminal 13e. The CPU 13a, the ROM 13b, the RAM 13c, the input/output interface 13d, and the input/output terminal 13e are connected to each other via a bus 13f. The input/output interface 13d is connected with a drive circuit 24a for the pulse motor 24 of the X-axis direction driving mechanism 20, a drive circuit 35a for the pulse motor 35 of the Y-axis direction driving mechanism 30, a drive circuit 45a for the machine motor 45 of the cartridge driving mechanism 12, the power switch 15, the start/stop switch 16, and a phase detector 98.

[0210] The phase detector 98 includes a plurality of photo interrupters and encoder disks which are fixedly attached to the pivot shaft integrally rotating with the large-diameter gear 54 and correspond to the photo interrupters. The phase detector 98 detects a rotational phase of the pivot shaft, so that an upper limit position, a lower limit position, and an unthreading position of the oscillating arm 40 can be detected.

[0211] The game machine 6 has a computer including a CPU 6a, a ROM 6b and a RAM 6c, a DVD drive (DVDD) 6d capable of reading and writing a DVD 120, a flash card connector 6e, input/output terminals 6f, 6g, an input terminal 6h, and an output terminal 6i, which are connected to each other via bus 6j. The input/output terminal 6f is connected to the input/output terminal 13e of the sewing apparatus 1. The controller 7 is connected to the input terminal 6h. The output terminal 6i is connected with a drive circuit (CRTD) 8a for the display (CRT) 8. The drive circuit 8a and display 8 could also be an LCD drive and display. The input/output terminal 6g can be connected with a telephone line 9a.

[0212] The DVD 120, as an external storage medium, stores various sewing data and programs so that the sewing data and the programs are readable by the computer. The DVD 120 can be attached to, or detached from the DVD drive 6d. When a DVD 120 storing game software for a video game is installed in the DVD drive 6d, a game screen is displayed on the display 8 according to the game software and a user can enjoy playing the game using the controller 7. Further, by connecting the input/output terminal 9g to the telephone line 9a, the sewing apparatus 1 can capture various data regarding sewing via the telephone line 9a, through a server 9b of an Internet provider, from a server 9c of a manufacturer of data and programs or a server 9d of another manufacturer. That is, various data regarding sewing provided from the manufacturers can be captured via the Internet 406.

[0213] In the sewing apparatus 1, an embroidery pattern can be formed on the work cloth 70 by controlling the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 (the X-axis direction driving mechanism 20 and the Y-axis direction driving mechanism 30) and the cartridge driving mechanism 12 by the operational controller 13 based on the sewing data. A control program for sewing is stored in the ROM 13b. In the embodiment, various characters (e.g., persons, animals, and robots) to be displayed on the display 8 by the game software can be selected and edited using the game machine 6. Pattern data for sewing a selected/edited character can be created in the game machine 6 and can be supplied to the sewing apparatus 1.

[0214] Therefore, the DVD 120 for selecting/editing sewing data is provided for the game machine 6. That is, as shown in FIG. 43, the DVD 120 stores various kinds of embroidery patterns selected from game software as described above, pattern data of various kinds for prestored embroidery patterns, a pattern selection control program for selecting a desired embroidery pattern from the various kinds of embroidery patterns, a pattern edit control program for editing (e.g., enlargement, reduction, unification, and reversal) a selected embroidery pattern, and a display control program for displaying an embroidery pattern on the display 8 for selecting and setting. A flash card 141, connectable to the flash card connector 6e, can store pattern data of a selected/edited embroidery pattern.

[0215] The DVD 120 also stores a pattern data creation control program for creating pattern data by selecting/editing a character of game software based on data of the game software. When pattern data is created using the pattern data creation control program, first, the control program is downloaded into the RAM 6c, and then various kinds of characters are displayed by running the game software DVD. A character to be sewn is selected/edited, and pattern data for the character to be sewn is created. The created pattern data is stored in the DVD 120.

[0216] Next, a series of operations of the sewing apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 44 and 45. As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the sewing apparatus 1 is connected with the game machine 6 via a connecting cable and the DVD 120 storing data of FIG. 43 is installed in the DVD drive 6d of the game machine 6. The game machine 6 is connected to the display 8 via the connecting cable.

[0217] First, an embroidery pattern is selected/edited using the controller 7 of the game machine 6 while observing a screen on the display 8. The embroidery pattern can be selected/edited without turning the power of the sewing apparatus 1 on.

[0218] As shown in FIG. 44, in a controller of the game machine 6, control is started when the power of the game machine 6 is turned on. After initialization (S1) (S stands for a step), data in the DVD 120 (such as the pattern selection control program, the pattern edit control program, and the display control program) are read (S2). Then, in pattern selection processing (S3), a desired embroidery pattern can be selected from various kinds of embroidery patterns stored in the DVD 120. In pattern edit processing (S4), a selected embroidery pattern can be edited (e.g., enlargement, reduction, unification, and reversal).

[0219] Selection/edit of the embroidery data is completed by operating a predetermined button of the controller 7 (S5;Yes). Then, when the sewing apparatus 1 can accept data (S6;Yes), the pattern data of the selected/edited embroidery pattern is sent to the sewing apparatus 1 (S7). After that, flow is returned to S3. When the sewing apparatus 1 cannot receive data, such that the power of the sewing apparatus 1 is not turned on (S6;No), flow returns to S5.

[0220] As shown in FIG. 45, in the operational controller 13 of the sewing apparatus 1, control is started when the power switch 15 is turned on. After initialization (S10), the sewing apparatus 1 can receive data. When the selected/edited pattern data is sent from the game machine 6 (S11;Yes), the sewing apparatus 1 receives the pattern data (S12). Next, when the start/stop switch 16 is turned on (S13;Yes), sewing processing is performed based on the received pattern data (S14).

[0221] Preparation required prior to starting the sewing operation will now be described. In a state where the safety cover 3 of the sewing apparatus 1 is in the storage position shown in FIG. 2, the embroidery frame 4 having the work cloth 70 is inserted into the inside of the safety cover 3 from the embroidery frame insertion slot 3f while the embroidery frame 4 is guided by the guide member 69 of the safety cover 3. The installation portion 4a of the embroidery frame 4 is engaged with the engagement portion 18a of the carriage 18. As described above, the carriage 18 in which the embroidery frame 4 can be securely attached is positioned substantially under the oscillating arm 40. At initialization (S10), the carriage 18 is moved to this position and placed on standby. The safety cover 3 is in the storage position and the embroidery frame 4 slightly protrudes from the safety cover 3.

[0222] After the embroidery frame 4 is attached to the carriage 18, the guide member 69 is grasped and the safety cover 3 is slid forward so as to be placed in the sewing position shown in FIG. 3. In this state, the cartridge insertion slot 68 is formed by the safety cover 3 and the casing 10. The sewing cartridge 5, accommodating a thread of a desired color, is inserted into the inside of the safety cover 3 from the cartridge insertion slot 68 and is attached to the oscillating arm 40. After this preparation is completed, the sewing process can be performed.

[0223] When the safety cover 3 is in a position other than the sewing position, the start/stop switch 16 cannot be operated because the start/stop switch 16 is covered with the safety cover 3. When the safety cover 3 is switched to the sewing position, the start/stop switch 16 is opposed to the switch operating hole 3e, so that the start/stop switch 16 can be operated. When the start/stop switch 16 is turned on (S13;Yes), the sewing processing (S14) is performed.

[0224] As shown in FIG. 43, pattern data of each embroidery pattern stored in the DVD 120 includes pattern section data of several pattern sections. The sewing cartridge is changed for every pattern section to change a thread color. That is, as shown in FIG. 45, when the start/stop switch 16 is turned on (S13;Yes), the sewing processing (S14) is performed. Based on the pattern data of one pattern section, the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 and the cartridge driving mechanism 12 are controlled and the pattern section is sewn on the work cloth 70.

[0225] When one pattern section is formed, the sewing operation of the pattern section is finished (S15). When a pattern section to be sewn next has a different color, the sewing cartridge 5 is changed to another sewing cartridge 5 that has a thread having a color for a pattern section to be sewn. In this case, for example, when a thread change is commanded by operating a predetermined button of the controller 7 (S16;Yes) before the sewing cartridge 5 presently attached to the sewing apparatus body 2 is detached therefrom, thread loosening processing (S17) is performed in order to cut the thread and change the sewing cartridge 5.

[0226] In the thread cutting preparation processing of S17, the thread T extending between the pattern (work cloth 70) and the sewing cartridge 5 is placed between the cutting blades 133 and 134 of the thread cutting mechanism 130. Specifically, the embroidery frame driving mechanism 11 is controlled by the controller 13 (the CPU 13a) so that the embroidery frame 4 is placed at the farthest position within the embroidery frame moving area 38 and the thread T extends in the front to rear direction. The thread T is stretched to the extent that the thread T does not come off or out from the work cloth 70. It is essential only that the thread T be placed between the opened cutting blades 133 and 134.

[0227] When it is not necessary to change the sewing cartridge 5, the thread loosening processing at S17 does not need to be performed. That is, when the thread change is not commanded (S16;No), flow returns to S13. Accordingly, the start/stop switch 16 is turned on (S13;Yes) while the sewing operation is stopped (S15) and the sewing operation (S14) is started again. Thus, the next pattern section is formed.

[0228] As described above, according to the sewing apparatus 1, a desired embroidery pattern can be selected/edited from various kinds of embroidery patterns using the game machine 6. A selected/edited embroidery pattern can be sewn on a work cloth 70 attached to the embroidery frame 4. Further, a colorful embroidery pattern can be sewn using threads having different colors in several pattern sections forming the embroidery pattern. The work cloth 70 on which the embroidery pattern is sewn is removed from the embroidery frame 4 and is adhered with the double-sided adhesive tape 77. Thus, a patterned cloth 78 is obtained and can be attached to various items as an emblem.

[0229] While the sewing operation is performed, the embroidery frame moving area 38 can be covered with the safety cover 3 in the sewing position. Most of the sewing cartridge 5 including the hollow needle 81, and the oscillating arm 40 can be also covered by the safety cover 3. The safety cover 3 cannot be removed from the sewing apparatus body 2. In positions other than the sewing position, the safety cover 3 prevents the start/stop switch 16 from being operated. Thus, the sewing apparatus 1 is prevented from an undesired operation occurring. Accordingly, the sewing apparatus 1 offers a superior level of safety and operability.

[0230] The sewing apparatus 1 is convenient to carry and store because it is compact and lightweight. The embroidery frame 4 and the sewing cartridge 5 can be easily attached to and detached from the sewing apparatus 1. In the sewing apparatus 1 the safety cover 3 can be easily switched in its position between the storage position and the sewing position to attach/detach the embroidery frame 4 and the sewing cartridge 5 thereto/therefrom. The thread T extending between the hollow needle 81 and the work cloth 70 can be easily cut. Accordingly, the sewing apparatus 1 can be easily handled and operated.

[0231] The sewing condition can be observed via the safety cover 3 made of a transparent or a translucent material, so that a user's interest will be raised. Accordingly, the sewing apparatus 1 can be easily handled by all users, for example, by children. Further, the sewing apparatus 1 offers a superior level of safety and operability. Because character emblems can be made by which desired characters are selected from game software and are embroidered on a work cloth, children will get a lot of pleasure from sewing.

[0232] In the aforementioned embodiment, a desired embroidery pattern is selected from various kinds of embroidery patterns stored in the DVD 120 and pattern data of the desired embroidery pattern is sent to the sewing apparatus 1 using the game machine 6. However, image data of a character in game software may be provided to the sewing apparatus 1 using the game machine 6 and pattern data may be created in the sewing apparatus 1 based on the image data.

[0233] In the aforementioned embodiment, sewing data is supplied from the DVD 120, which is an external storage medium, via the home video game machine 6. However, sewing data may be supplied from other types of external storage mediums such as an optical recording medium (e.g., a CDROM, a CD-R), a magnetic recording medium (e.g. a floppy disk), and a semiconductor recording medium (e.g. a flash memory).

[0234] In the aforementioned embodiment, it is assumed that sewing data is stored in an external storage medium in advance. However, sewing data may be created by calculation of a CPU in the sewing apparatus body 2 or the game machine 6. For example, color image data of a game is divided by color and areas are specified by color. Then, the color-specific areas are specified as color-specific sewing areas. After that, sewing data for filling an area with Tatami stitches is created by color. Sewing data for stitching pattern sections so that boundary areas of the pattern sections overlap each other is created. Sewing data for stitching with Satin stitches as an outline of an embroidery pattern is created. A video capture function (a print screen function in a personal computer) can be used to capture image data as described above. A sequence of sewing of areas is determined based on size of areas and the lightness of the colors. However, an outline is preferably sewn last.

[0235] A data supply device connected to the sewing apparatus body 2 of the sewing apparatus 1 is not restricted to the home video game machine 6, but may be embroidery machines, computer sewing machines, radio-cassette players, satellite receiving tuners, karaoke terminals (including on-line and non on-line karaoke systems), facsimiles, cellar phones, televisions, videocassette recorders, music CD players, 8-millimeter video cameras, digital cameras, or computers, if the apparatus has a function of handling data. Data communications with the sewing apparatus body 2 may be implemented via a cable 401. However, wireless data communication (including infrared rays) may be implemented.

[0236] For example, when a satellite receiving tuner is used, main audio information may be used in a commercial and the satellite receiving tuner receives data and programs for the sewing apparatus body 2 through sub-audio information, which is not used for audio of the commercial while the commercial of the sewing apparatus 1, or other products are being run. Sewing may be performed by which data and programs received by the satellite receiving tuner are processed and the sewing apparatus body 2 is controlled. Data may be supplied to the sewing apparatus body 2 via other equipment, such as the home video game machine 6.

[0237] When the sub-audio information is used, advertising effectiveness may be ensured by which it is structured that the data and programs received by the satellite receiving tuner can be used only when the data is played back at a normal playback speed, in which the recorded commercial is watched, in a case where image data is recorded using a videocassette recorder. When a sewing machine is used as a data supply device, sewing can be performed using patterns installed in the sewing machine or patterns supplied from an external storage medium to be attached to the sewing machine. Sewing data is edited using a display and operating members provided on the sewing machine.

[0238] In the aforementioned embodiment, the sewing apparatus body 2 of the sewing apparatus 1 is directly connected with the data supply device via the connecting cable. The sewing apparatus body 2 may be connected with the data supply device via a converter 400 so as to be connected with other equipment described above. The converter 400 may be dedicated to various equipment described above, or may have several types of connecting portions. If such a converter 400 is used, there is a possibility that a general-purpose cable for connection can be used. The sewing apparatus body 2 may be connected with one or more data supply devices, such as a second game machine 402, a third game machine 403, a data supply device 404 other than the game machine, and a sewing machine 405, at the same time. The converter 400 may contribute to only data transmission, or may be provided with a CPU so that data can be edited or converted in the converter 400.

[0239] In the aforementioned embodiment, because a patterned cloth, such as an emblem, is adhered to clothes using a double-sided adhesive tape, the patterned cloth can be easily attached to and detached from the clothes. Instead of the double-sided adhesive tape, hook-and-loop fasteners may be used. In a case where an emblem is attached to clothes via a double-sided adhesive tape or hook-and-loop fasteners, the emblem can be easily removed from the clothes when the clothes are washed.

[0240] Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
2000-372050	Dec 2000	JP
2001-10966	Jan 2001	JP

Sewing apparatus

Information

Publication Number

Date Filed

Date Published

Inventors

Original Assignees

CPC

US Classifications

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (2)