Methods and systems for design and production of customized wearable equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135869-B2
Application number	US-202217947328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2022
Priority date	Jun 29, 2018
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

Methods and systems for customizing wearable equipment such as athletic equipment, including ice skates. For example, an ice skate may comprise a skate boot and blade holder. The skate boot may be customized, e.g., may be manufactured using a custom last. A method of operating a computing device to customize the skate boot last may comprise: carrying out a 3D modeling application; obtaining a scan of a foot from an image acquisition device; creating a model of the foot; obtaining a model of a customized last based on the model of the foot; creating metadata and associating the metadata with the 3D model data; and generating a production specification for the customized last based on the model of the customized last and the metadata.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a computing device to provide a customized last, the method comprising:
using a three-dimensional (3D) modeling application for generating and manipulating 3D model data and for displaying the 3D model data on a screen, obtaining a scan of a foot from an image acquisition device communicatively coupled to the computing device and creating a 3D model of the foot;
obtaining a 3D model of the customized last based on the 3D model of the foot using the 3D modeling application;
creating metadata using the 3D modeling application and associating the metadata with the 3D model data;
generating a production specification for the customized last based on the 3D model of the customized last and the metadata; and
storing the production specification in non-transitory memory or sending the production specification over a network;
wherein obtaining the 3D model of the customized last is performed by:
selecting a base last;
obtaining a 3D model of the base last;
comparing the 3D model of the base last and the 3D model of the foot to determine at least one last attachment feature;
generating the 3D model of the customized last based on the at least one last attachment feature and the 3D model of the base last.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising interacting with a user of the computing device to enable the user to modify the 3D model data in the 3D modeling application based on commands received from the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one of: text; graphics; nominal skate size; gender; desired fit; and foot directionality.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device comprises at least one of a camera and a scanning gun.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device is integrated with the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising scanning markers on a pre-determined object proximate to the foot to provide a frame of reference for the scan.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scan of the foot includes a sock on the foot and wherein creating the 3D model of the foot comprises creating a preliminary 3D model of the foot with the sock on and modifying the preliminary 3D model of the foot to compensate for a thickness of the sock.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising;
producing the customized last.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein producing the customized last comprises obtaining the base last; producing a last attachment based on the at least one last attachment feature; and attaching the last attachment to the base last.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising producing a skate boot from production material shaped using the customized last.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising heating the skate boot to a pre-determined temperature and thermoforming the skate boot after the producing step.

12. A customized skate boot for a user manufactured using the method of claim 10 .

13. The customized skate boot of claim 12 , wherein a dimension of the customized skate boot is smaller than a corresponding dimension of the 3D model of the foot.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the steps of obtaining the scan and obtaining the 3D model of the customized last are carried out elsewhere than where the producing is carried out.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein a dimension of the 3D model of the customized last is smaller than a corresponding dimension of the 3D model of the foot by a pre-determined extent.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing the 3D model of the base last and the 3D model of the foot comprises positioning the 3D model of the foot relative to the 3D model of the base last in a 3D virtual space of the 3D modeling application; and comparing 3D data of the base last and 3D data of the foot in a 3D coordinate system.

17. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
receiving commands from a user, wherein the commands indicate displaying the 3D model data on the screen in a specific perspective;
in response to the commands, using the 3D modeling application to recalculate the 3D model of the base last and the 3D model of the foot in the specific perspective.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the 3D model of the customized last comprising:
modifying 3D data associated with the 3D model of the base last;
determining if the modified 3D data satisfies criteria;
in response to the modified 3D data satisfying the criteria, utilizing the modified 3D data as the 3D model of the customized last.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one last attachment feature is represented by a 3D model of a last attachment.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining 3D models of last attachments based on the at least one last attachment feature; determining respective distances of the 3D models of the last attachments;
in response to a specific distance of 3D models of two particular last attachments meeting criteria, fusing the 3D models of the two particular last attachments into a joint last attachment model that includes a portion in a region of a virtual 3D space that was not originally covered by any of the two particular last attachments.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to carry out a method for providing a customized last, the method comprising:
using a three-dimensional (3D) modeling application for generating and manipulating 3D model data and for displaying the 3D model data on a screen, obtaining a scan of a foot from an image acquisition device communicatively coupled to the computing device and creating a 3D model of the foot;
obtaining a 3D model of the customized last based on the 3D model of the foot using the 3D modeling application;
creating metadata using the 3D modeling application and associating the metadata with the 3D model data;
generating a production specification for the customized last based on the 3D model of the customized last and the metadata; and
storing the production specification in non-transitory memory or sending the production specification over a network,
wherein obtaining the 3D model of the customized last is performed by:
selecting a base last;
obtaining a 3D model of the base last;
comparing the 3D model of the base last and the 3D model of the foot to determine at least one last attachment feature;
generating the 3D model of the customized last based on the at least one last attachment feature and the 3D model of the base last.

22. A method of operating a computing device to provide a customized last, the method comprising:
using a three-dimensional (3D) modeling application for generating and manipulating 3D model data and for displaying the 3D model data on a screen, obtaining a scan of a foot from an image acquisition device communicatively coupled to the computing device and creating a 3D model of the foot;
obtaining a 3D model of the customized last based on the 3D model of the foot using the 3D modeling application;
interacting with a user of the computing device to modify the 3D model of the customized last using the 3D modeling application based on commands received from the user;
generating a production specification for the customized last based on the 3D model of the customized last as modified by the user; and
storing the production specificat

Assignees

• Bauer Hockey Llc

Inventors

• Boissonneault Raymond
• Laperriere Jean-Francois
• Durocher Jacques
• Poitras Mathieu
• Krick Thierry
• Lemelin Thomas

Classifications

• G06T17/10

  Constructive solid geometry [CSG] using solid primitives, e.g. cylinders, cubes · CPC title

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• G06T2219/2004

  Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts · CPC title

• G06T2219/2021

  Shape modification · CPC title

• A42B3/20

  Face guards, e.g. for ice hockey (A42B3/22 takes precedence) · CPC title