Automated application of cut thermal adhesive films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11020869-B2
Application number	US-201916707159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2019
Priority date	Mar 16, 2015
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Method of manufacturing a substrate with a cut thermal film comprises obtaining an input digital image of a design to be transferred to the substrate; storing the input image in memory; rendering design elements of the design as a single output image; based upon a bleed size value, a maximum number of negative areas, a maximum number of positive areas, and attribute values: resizing the image to include a border for bleed; filling transparent areas of the image with the substrate attribute values; creating a cutting path; creating a mask image; inverting the mask image; modifying the mask image to adjust fill areas around details, to limit negative areas to be less than the maximum number of negative areas, and to limit positive areas to be less than the maximum number of positive areas; creating cutting path data in memory as a vector path outlining the mask image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-based system for manufacturing a custom product by applying, to a product, a decorative design imprinted in an adhesive film, the computer-based system comprising:
a service provider computer that is configured to:
automatically determine, in an adhesive film, one or more regions that collectively depict a decorative design printed on the adhesive film and to be used to generate a custom product;
wherein the service provider computer is further configured to:
automatically generate cutting instructions that describe how to cut registration means in the adhesive film;
wherein the registration means includes one or more of: lines, dots or holes;
wherein the registration means defines a path that encloses the one or more regions that collectively depict the decorative design included in the adhesive film;
wherein the path is larger by an offset than a border enclosing the one or more regions;

wherein the service provider computer is further configured to:
provide the cutting instructions to a registration device to cause the registration device to automatically cut the registration means in the adhesive film according to the cutting instructions;
cause a cutting device to optically detect the registration means in the adhesive film and to generate a cut-out-shape by cutting the adhesive film along the path;
wherein the cut-out-shape corresponds to the decorative design and is to be used to generate the custom product.

2. The computer-based system of claim 1 , wherein the decorative design is printed on the adhesive film using an inkjet printing technique; wherein the service provider computer is further configured to cause: a manufacturing device to use a substrate color of the custom product to print edges around the decorative design in addition to edges of the decorative design rendered based on the cut-out-shape cut from the adhesive film; wherein the substrate color is selected from a visible color range.

3. The computer-based system of claim 1 , wherein the service provider computer is further configured to cause: a manufacturing device to use a substrate texture of the custom product to print edges around the decorative design in addition to edges of the decorative design rendered based on the cut-out-shape cut from the adhesive film; wherein the substrate texture is selected from a visible texture range.

4. The computer-based system of claim 1 , wherein the offset by which the path defined by the registration means is larger than the border enclosing the one or more regions is larger than a smallest size of one or more of: a printable line or a printable dot.

5. The computer-based system of claim 1 , wherein a count of one or more of: lines, dots, or holes, that are included in the registration means does not exceed a limit value.

6. The computer-based system of claim 1 , wherein the service provider computer is further configured to automatically determine which portions of the decorative design are to be rendered based on the cut-out-shape and which portions of the decorative design are to be rendered using a printing method.

7. The computer-based system of claim 1 , wherein the service provider computer is further configured to:
generate and transmit one or more manufacturing instructions comprising a cut film manufacturing means for generating the custom product;
generate and transmit one or more printing instructions comprising a printing manufacturing means for printing a design on the custom product.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:
automatically determining, in an adhesive film, one or more regions that collectively depict a decorative design printed in the adhesive film and to be used to generate a custom product;
automatically generating cutting instructions that describe how to cut registration means in the adhesive film;
wherein the registration means includes one or more of: lines, dots or holes;
wherein the registration means defines a path that encloses the one or more regions that collectively depict the decorative design included in the adhesive film;
wherein the path is larger by an offset than a border enclosing the one or more regions;
providing the cutting instructions to a registration device to cause the registration device to automatically cut the registration means in the adhesive film according to the cutting instructions;
causing a cutting device to optically detect the registration means in the adhesive film and to generate a cut-out-shape by cutting the adhesive film along the path;
wherein the cut-out-shape corresponds to the decorative design and is to be used to generate the custom product.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , storing additional instructions for: using a substrate color of the custom product to print edges around the decorative design in addition to edges of the decorative design rendered based on the cut-out-shape cut from the adhesive film; wherein the substrate color is selected from a visible color range.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , storing additional instructions for: using a substrate texture of the custom product to print edges around the decorative design in addition to edges of the decorative design rendered based on the cut-out-shape cut from the adhesive film; wherein the substrate texture is selected from a visible texture range.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein the offset by which the path defined by the registration means is larger than the border enclosing the one or more regions is larger than a smallest size of one or more of: a printable line or a printable dot.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein a count of one or more of: lines, dots, or holes, that are included in the registration means does not exceed a limit value.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , storing additional instructions for: automatically determining which portions of the decorative design are to be rendered based on the cut-out-shape and which portions of the decorative design are to be rendered using a printing method;
generating and transmitting one or more manufacturing instructions comprising a cut film manufacturing means for generating the custom product;
generating and transmitting one or more printing instructions comprising a printing manufacturing means for printing a design on the custom product.

Assignees

• Zazzle Inc

Inventors

• Harvill Young

Classifications

• G05B19/4097 Primary

  characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM (G05B19/4093 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B44C1/165

  for decalcomanias; sheet material therefor (apparatus or machines for applying decalcomanias B65C) · CPC title

• B44C1/162

  Decalcomanias with a transfer layer comprising indicia with definite outlines such as letters and with means facilitating the desired fitting to the permanent base · CPC title

• B26F1/3813

  wherein the tool head is moved in a plane parallel to the work in a coordinate system fixed with respect to the work · CPC title

• B26F1/00

  Perforating; Punching; Cutting-out; Stamping-out; Apparatus therefor (perforating by laser beam B23K26/00; subjecting the grinding tools or the abrading medium to vibration, e.g. grinding with ultrasonic frequency, B24B1/04; perforating by sand-blasting B24C; punching cards or tapes for statistical and record purposes G06K1/00) · CPC title