Surface covering production method using digital printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906348-B2
Application number	US-201716069329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2017
Priority date	Jan 11, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A method of producing a decorative surface covering comprises generating one or more synthetic images. The generation of these images includes arranging local prototype motifs characteristic of a material to be mimicked in a random manner and generating or preserving continuity between the local prototype motifs in such a way as to yield globally an appearance of the material to be mimicked, digitally printing one or more synthetic images on a printing substrate, and assembling the printing substrate with one or more backing layers and/or one or more transparent top layers so as to form the decorative surface covering.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing a decorative surface covering, comprising:
generating one or more synthetic images, the generation of the one or more synthetic images including:
arranging local prototype motifs characteristic of a material to be mimicked in a random manner and generating or preserving continuity between said local prototype motifs in such a way as to yield globally an appearance of the material to be mimicked;
digitally printing the one or more synthetic images on a printing substrate; and

assembling said printing substrate with one or more backing layers and/or one or more transparent top layers so as to form said decorative surface covering;
wherein, before said digital printing of the one or more synthetic images, gravure printing a base coat on said printing substrate.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said local prototype motifs comprise photograph snippets of one or more photographs of the material to be mimicked.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said local prototype motifs comprise computer-generated snippets imitating distinctive visual motifs of the material to be mimicked.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said local prototype motifs are generated and/or arranged in said random manner by rule-based processing using rules selected in accordance with the material to be mimicked.

5. The method as claimed claim 1 , wherein said local prototype motifs are blended into one another for generating continuity between said local prototype motifs.

6. The method as claim 1 , wherein arranging said local prototype motifs in a random manner comprises
distributing said local prototype motifs in a two-dimensional canvas area in a random manner; and
modifying and completing the prototype motifs so as to optically blend them into one another, thus producing a seamless appearance.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the local prototype motifs comprise lineal, areal or volume features and wherein arranging the local prototype motifs in said random manner comprises coordinating the local prototype motifs in an at least three-dimensional space, and retrieving a two-dimensional surface embedded in said space.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , comprising mapping said two-dimensional surface into a plane.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the synthetic image mimics a surface of natural material selected from the group consisting of stone, wood, bamboo, cork and metal.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least part of the prototype motifs are retrieved from an image database.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein arranging said local prototype motifs comprises preventing repetition of each local prototype motifs within a defined radius, the defined radius preferably amounting to at least 2 m.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the local prototype motifs comprise first, eye-catching, prototype motifs and second, containing areal and lineal features forming inconspicuous, prototype motifs.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein arranging said local prototype motifs is carried out by distributing said first prototype motifs in a random manner and generating continuity between said first prototype motifs comprises distributing said second prototype motifs in-between said first prototype motifs.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein arranging said local prototype motifs comprises arranging the local prototype motifs as an at least two-dimensional dense mosaic devoid of gaps and wherein generating continuity between said local prototype motifs comprises modifying said prototype motifs so as to eliminate discontinuities between adjacent prototype motifs.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein arranging said local prototype motifs comprises arranging said local prototype motifs as an at least two-dimensional sparse mosaic with gaps between said local prototype motifs and wherein generating continuity between said local prototype motifs comprises extrapolation of said local prototype motifs into said gaps and/or interpolation of the said local prototype motifs.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method produces a decorative wall or floor covering.

Assignees

• Tarkett Gdl Sa

Inventors

• Maertens Christophe
• Peres Richard
• Raad Lara

Classifications

• G06T11/10

  Texturing; Colouring; Generation of textures or colours (retouching, inpainting or scratch removal G06T5/77) · CPC title

• E04F15/10

  of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite {tiles}, hardboard {, or with a top layer of other materials} · CPC title

• E04F15/107

  composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels (layered products in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04) · CPC title

• E04F13/0866

  composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels or layered panels (layered products as such in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04; E04F13/0864, E04F13/0875 take precedence) · CPC title

• B44F9/10

  of metallic or oxidised metallic surfaces · CPC title