Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-08
2004-06-08
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 2155)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C705S027200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748290
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for textile production. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method for producing a textile based on an image received from a customer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mass production of textiles occurs in many manufacturing centres around the world. In most cases, the manufacturer chooses to produce, or is contracted to produce, a textile having a particular visual appearance or “design” and proceeds to manufacture large quantities of the textile having that design. For example, for a particular beach towel design, the manufacturer may produce one thousand beach towels having that design. It is generally not economically viable for the manufacturer to produce low quantities of a textile of a particular design as there are set-up costs associated with setting up the textile weaving machinery for each different design.
If a customer desires to have a particular design or image applied to a beach towel, for example, he must bear the time costs of consulting the manufacturer or manufacturer's agent in relation to that design and the costs of having the towel weaving machinery set up specifically for that towel design, with the result that that particular towel is inordinately expensive relative to most towels available on the market. Additionally, it is generally not possible to manufacture only one towel at a time and if the weaving machinery is set up to produce one particular design, there is usually a set number of towels which must be produced in weaving a design cycle by the machinery. Therefore, if the consumer only wants one towel of the particular design, the remaining towels are wasted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method of producing a textile product, including the steps of:
receiving order information from a customer over a network, the order information including an image to be reproduced on the textile product;
processing the order information to create an order record readable by an automated weaving machine; and
causing the weaving machine to weave the textile product according to the order record so as to have a representation of the image on a face of the textile product.
By this method, it is possible to provide for automatic production of the textile product such that a number of customer orders may be processed and woven within a batch of textile products. Each customer can order a customized textile product but because the individual customer designs are processed within a single batch, it is not necessary for the customer to pay for the entire batch set-up cost. As the method is automatic and does not require a human operator to be involved during the set-up phase of production of the textile product, the production cost is advantageously made more economically viable. Advantageously, by processing a number of different customer orders within a single batch, the cost of each textile product is commensurately reduced and becomes affordable to the consumer.
Advantageously, the method can be used to process a number of different customer orders using a number of weaving machines.
Preferably, a plurality of automated weaving machines is provided, each being set up to provide textile products of a different binary colour selection and/or size selection whereby a plurality of batches of textile products, each batch having a particular binary color selection and size selection associated therewith, can be woven by respective weaving machines. Accordingly, a customer is able to select a particular binary color selection and/or size from the range offered by the set up of the different weaving machines. The plurality of weaving machines may be distributed among a number of different manufacturing locations, either within a single country or around the world.
To put this in to effect, preferably the order information further includes the following:
(a) payment information to enable the customer to be charged a payment for the production of the textile or account information relating to a pre-existing account that that customer may have for the purposes of ordering the production of textiles;
(b) information as to any text which is to be placed adjacent the image on the textile, including size, style and font of the text;
(c) information as to which of a predetermined set of binary colors is to be used for representing the image on the textile product (eg. black/white, blue/red, green/yellow);
(d) information as to the preferred size of the textile product, selected from a predetermined set of size options;
(e) information as to the preferred textile material to be used for the textile product, selected from a predetermined list of materials;
(f) address and contact information of the customer.
Preferably, the automated weaving machine includes a jacquard machine. Reference hereinafter to ajacquard weaving machine is a reference to ajacquard machine in a controlling relationship with the mechanical weaving functions of the weaving machine (also called a “loom”).
Preferably, the step of receiving is performed by a web server in communication with the network Preferably, after the step of receiving, the method further includes a step of confirming the validity of the payment information and registering a charge against the customer in accordance with that payment information if it is confirmed to be valid. Preferably, the step of confirming also includes parsing the order information to check that it constitutes valid order information.
Preferably, the step of processing further includes the step of downloading the order information to a design station for conditioning the image. Preferably, the conditioning includes filtering to enhance the contrast of the colors within the image and cropping of the borders of the image.
Preferably, the conditioning includes converting the image to a 41 point grey scale. Preferably, the step of processing includes the step of creating a weave in accordance with the converted 41 point grey scale image, such that:
weave number zero corresponds to all pile loops on the face of the textile being of the first binary colour;
weave number
40
corresponds to all pile loops on the face of the textile being of the second binary color;
weave number
5
(for example) corresponds to 35 of the 40 loops being of the first binary colour and 5 of the loops being of the second binary colour.
Preferably, in the example regarding weave number
5
above, the five loops of the second binary colour are evenly but irregularly distributed among a block of 40 loops. Preferably, the step of processing further includes a step of converting the 41 point grey scaled image to a file format for reading by the weaving machine. For example, a so-called “Card Image” (CI) file format may be appropriate for reading by some jacquard weaving machines.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of forwarding the order information to a production management system for tracking the production of the textile product ordered by each customer. Preferably, the web server interfaces with the production management system for reporting to the customer which stage of production the textile product is in at the time of a customer request for such a report via the web server.
Preferably, the method further includes, prior to the step of causing the weaving machine to weave, the steps of scheduling a plurality of order records for weaving by the weaving machine in one batch and scheduling a further plurality of order records for weaving by the weaving machine in a second batch of textile products. Preferably, each of the order records in a batch of textile products has the same binary color selection and size selection as the other order records in that batch.
Preferably, the jacquard weaving machine includes a computer processor and memory and is adapted to store a plurality of order records for producing a batch of textile products. Preferably, following the step of causing the weaving machine to weave, the method further includes the step of feed
Mahoney & Somaia Pty Ltd.
Nerbun Peter
Welsh & Katz Ltd.
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