Patent ID: 8738169

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions that instruct the apparatus to execute steps comprising: acquiring pattern data, the pattern data being data representing a position of a point on a pattern line in a case where cuts are formed in a work cloth along the pattern line, which is a line indicating a shape of a pattern; identifying, as a plurality of cutting needle drop points, a plurality of points on the pattern line, each of the plurality of cutting needle drop points being a position at which a cutting needle is to be inserted into the work cloth in order to form a cut; identifying, as a corresponding identified needle, one of a plurality of cutting needles configured to be attachable to a plurality of needle bars of a multi-needle sewing machine in a state in which directions of cutting edges of the plurality of cutting needles are different from each other, the identifying being performed for each of the plurality of cutting needle drop points; storing cutting needle drop point data and identified needle data in association with each other in the memory, the cutting needle drop point data being data indicating each of the plurality of cutting needle drop points, and the identified needle data being data indicating the identified needle identified for each of the plurality of cutting needle drop points; identifying, based on the cutting needle drop point data and the identified needle data stored in the memory, a continuous number of times, which is the number of times that the identified needle is continuously the same in an adjacent order on the pattern line; replacing, among the identified needle data stored in the memory, the identified needle data of the identified needle for which the identified continuous number of times is smaller than a threshold value, with other identified needle data corresponding to the cutting needle drop point data of one of a previous cutting needle drop point and a subsequent cutting needle drop point in the order; and generating cut data based on the cutting needle drop point data and the identified needle data stored in the memory, the cut data being data for the multi-needle sewing machine to sequentially insert the corresponding identified needle at the plurality of cutting needle drop points along the pattern line.