Image correction with 3D printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9457589-B2
Application number	US-201514932476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2015
Priority date	Apr 4, 2013
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for three-dimensional printing directly onto an article of apparel. Disclosed is a method and system for direct three-dimensional printing onto an article of apparel, including receiving an undistorted three-dimensional pattern for display on the article, the undistorted three-dimensional pattern configured for placement on an irregular three-dimensional surface; creating a predistorted three-dimensional pattern from the undistorted three-dimensional pattern for printing onto a simple three-dimensional shaped object; receiving the predistorted three-dimensional pattern in a three-dimensional printing system; and printing the predistorted three-dimensional pattern onto the article.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of printing onto a three-dimensional surface, comprising:
receiving an undistorted three-dimensional pattern for display on the three-dimensional surface,
creating a pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern from the undistorted three-dimensional pattern for printing onto a simple three-dimensional shaped object;
receiving the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern in a printing system; and
printing the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern onto the three-dimensional surface with at least one print material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the creating comprises receiving and manipulating dimensional information.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the dimensional information is a distance measurement.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the dimensional information is a height measurement.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the dimensional information is a curvature measurement.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the simple three-dimensional shaped object is chosen from a sphere, a cube, a toroid, a cylinder and a pyramid.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional surface is an article of apparel.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the print material is chosen from an ink, a dye, a resin, an acrylic, a polymer, a thermoplastic material, a thermosetting material, and a light-curable material.

9. A method of printing onto an article of apparel, comprising:
receiving information in developing a design for an undistorted three-dimensional pattern for display on the article of apparel;
designing the undistorted three-dimensional pattern from at least the information;
providing the undistorted three-dimensional pattern to a computing device;
creating, using the computing device, a pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern from the undistorted three-dimensional pattern;
receiving the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern in a printing system; and
printing the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern onto the article of apparel.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein distortions in the article of apparel are considered when creating the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern is printed from an ink or a dye.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the article of apparel has at least an asymmetrical surface.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the pre-distorted three-dimensional pattern changes to the undistorted three-dimensional pattern when the article of apparel is worn by a user.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein a print material is chosen from an ink or a dye.

15. A method of printing onto an article of apparel, comprises:
receiving an undistorted three-dimensional image, in a computing device;
creating a pre-distorted three-dimensional image from the undistorted three-dimensional image;
receiving the pre-distorted three-dimensional image in a printing device, wherein the computing device is in communication with the printing device, and
printing at least a portion of the pre-distorted three-dimensional image onto the article of apparel for display.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a print material is absorbed into the article of apparel when printing the at least a portion of the pre-distorted three-dimensional image.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the pre-distorted three-dimensional image is calculated from distortions in the article of apparel.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the computing device considers the flexibility of the article of apparel when creating the pre-distorted three-dimensional image.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the at least a portion of the pre-distorted three dimensional image corresponds to at least a portion of the undistorted three-dimensional image.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the article of apparel is a sock.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Miller Todd W
• Schenone David J

Classifications

• B41F17/38

  for printing on knitted fabrics · CPC title

• B41J3/4073

  Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects (B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112) · CPC title

• B41J3/4078 Primary

  Printing on textile · CPC title

• D06P5/00

  Other features in dyeing or printing textiles, or dyeing leather, furs, or solid macromolecular substances in any form · CPC title