Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-15
2001-01-09
Black, Thomas G. (Department: 2771)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173211
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to systems and methods for making garments, upholstery and the like from fabric webs, and deals more particularly with apparatus and methods for producing pattern pieces of predetermined configurations cut from web fabric material for assembly into garments or the like with the fabric of each pattern piece having a fabric design with design features arranged in a predetermined manner with respect to lines that define the boundary of the piece.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computerized generation of fabric cutting markers is well known in the art. Known systems include those offered by the assignee of the present invention, such as Gerber Garment Technology, Inc. (GGT) AccuMark marker making systems. In general, these known systems utilize a marker generated with a computer to optimize pattern piece density and thereby minimize the waste of fabric. However, fabrics which have a plaid, stripe, print or other regularly repeating fabric design are troublesome in that the clothing designer may require a specific alignment of the fabric design in several pattern pieces which lie adjacent to or on top of one another in the finished garment or other product. Consequently, the highest density of pattern pieces in the marker placed over the fabric, or otherwise used for cutting the fabric, is not necessarily the one which provides the specified fabric design alignment. Stated another way, markers which provide the specified fabric design alignment are generally of lower pattern piece density than comparable markers taking no account of the fabric design. This, in turn, results in a higher proportion of fabric wastage.
Many of the fabrics of concern, in particular those bearing a regularly repeated design other than stripes or plaids, are produced by a printing process wherein the design is printed on a suitable plain, unprinted fabric. Rotary plate and silk-screen printing, or variations thereof, have long been used for this purpose. It is now also possible to print on fabric using multiple, minute jets of appropriate inks, dyes or pigments. This process is analogous to the widely used ink-jet paper printing process. Like ink-jet printing on paper, jet printing on fabric is performed under the control of a computer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for producing fabric pattern pieces, with the fabric of each pattern piece having a matched print design with the design features arranged in a predetermined manner with respect to the lines defining the boundary of the piece, while minimizing fabric wastage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method of making pattern pieces from work material with each pattern piece carrying a printed design for assembly into garments and the like. The design is printed only within, or so as to expand only slightly outside of, the boundaries of the pattern pieces. This avoids the problems previously associated with alignment of the pattern pieces relative to a repeating design preprinted over the entire surface of the work material and allows a more compact nesting of the pattern pieces on the work material. An electronic pattern piece database is generated, having a template for each of the desired pattern pieces.
Graphical images, representative of the repeatable portion of the design, are also generated and are combined individually with the pattern piece templates. The templates are then arranged in nested relation to create a cutting and printing marker wherein a fabric print design appears in each piece as desired, both as to orientation and match, in the corresponding finished pattern pieces. The cutting and printing marker is then utilized to control a cutter for cutting the pattern pieces from the web and a printer for printing the desired designs onto the fabric web in the areas corresponding to the pattern pieces, with the printing preferably occurring prior to the cutting.
To combine the fabric print design with the pattern piece templates, the templates are taken one-at-a-time, from the database and visually displayed. The displayed template is first rotated into a desired orientation. Then an image of a swatch of the fabric print design is superimposed on the template image and properly positioned with respect to the match points included within the template confines. The fabric print pattern is then repeated in both coordinate directions so as to completely fill the template. A record of the oriented and pattern-covered template is stored in a holding file or database. Finally, the records are arranged in nested relation to create the cutting and printing marker.
By individually adjusting the print design in each of the pattern pieces, concerns previously related to the design repeat of the fabric are obviated. It is thus possible to nest the pattern pieces on the fabric sheet as closely as if no design were involved. This closer nesting of the pattern pieces minimizes fabric wastage.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
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Clarino Thomas N.
Williams Kevin M.
Black Thomas G.
Gerber Technology, Inc.
McCormick Paulding & Huber LLP
Wang Mary
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