# US 11,029,896 B2 · System, method, and program product for digital production management

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,029,896 B2
- Document ID: US11029896B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/841,148
- Filed: 2020-04-06
- Published: 2020-07-23
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2013-02-04
- Assignees: Authentise Inc.
- Applicants: Authentise Inc.
- Inventors: Andre P. Wegner; Melissa L. McCoy; Michael Lee Crogan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029896B2

## CPC

- B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- G06F 3/1212: {achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start}
- G06F 3/1222: {Increasing security of the print job}
- G06F 3/1238: {Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs}
- G06F 3/1244: {Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding}
- G06F 3/1288: {in client-server-printer device configuration}
- G06F 21/16: Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
- G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD]
- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06Q 30/08: Auctions
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- G06F 3/122: {with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU}
- G06F 3/1267: {Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing}
- G06F 21/1063: {Personalisation}
- G06F 2111/02: CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
- G06F 2206/1514: Sub-job
- G06Q 50/04: Manufacturing
- Y02P 90/30: Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Systems, methods, and program products for managing digital production from one or more production devices with one or more sources providing inputs of production designs and/or production options are disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for digital production, the system comprising:
one or more digital production devices for manufacturing a three-dimensional object; and
a digital production management platform comprising one or more processors and at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the digital production management platform is configured to:
receive a first data stream comprising an object design file, the object design file comprising a digital signature embedded within the object design file, wherein the digital signature contains at least one of a production date and an identifying code;
confirm that production is authorized based on the digital signature;
securely stream a second data stream to at least one of the one or more digital production devices, the second data stream comprising a first portion of the received object design file, wherein the first portion of the received object design file comprises production instructions;
securely stream a third data stream to at least one of the one or more digital production devices, the third data stream comprising a second portion of the received object design file, wherein the second portion of the object design file is streamed after detecting the absence of the first portion of the object design file on the at least one or more digital production devices or after receiving a confirmation of removal of the first portion of the object design file from the one or more digital production devices;
receive a feedback data stream from the one or more digital production devices comprising at least digital production status data; and
track and determine the genealogy of a material used for manufacturing the three-dimensional object.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the genealogy comprises at least one of:
original material supplied;
actions on the material and the results of the actions, wherein the actions comprise at least one of testing, sieving, and blending;
print or production; and
tests on subsequent builds,
wherein the genealogy is displayable in a visual format allowing for a variable view of the genealogy, including a format ending with the material or beginning with the material, wherein the genealogy provides for tracing the material to an individual part.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the feedback data stream from the software is configured to provide at least one of current space capacity, current status, an ongoing action report, validation against expected values, analysis and confirmation whether all steps have been completed correctly, and any feedback from third parties to validate a supply chain based on data provided from manufacturing machines or from software that manages the manufacturing machines.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein all or a portion of the feedback data stream can be shared with a buyer and wherein the feedback data stream is configured to provide an insurance product for the three-dimensional product.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the digital production management platform is configured to determine at least one of a buffer size and a type of data for the second data stream based on at least one of the one or more digital production devices' speed, an object design file size, a duration of a period of time to establish an initial connection with at least one of the one or more digital production devices, and a digital production device download speed.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein data from the feedback data stream is shared with a buyer only when predetermined conditions are met.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the digital production management platform is configured to receive an object design file that is not a non-three-dimensional manufacturable file and convert the object design file automatically into a three-dimensional manufacturable file.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein, based on the object design file, material and testing requirements, machines required for manufacture, process steps, machine settings, and shipping requirements are automatically provided.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the digital production management platform is configured to generate a digital watermark to be inserted into the object design file and to insert a physical watermark design into the object design file, the watermark comprising at least one of raised features and indentations.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a reading device configured to detect physical design elements of a three-dimensional object, wherein the reading device is configured to authenticate the manufactured part by comparing detected physical design elements, printer data, and software data to the received object design file,
wherein the physical design elements are compared based at least in part upon at least one of design structure, material, and surface features and
wherein the reading device is configured to detect a proprietary physical watermark.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the digital production management platform further comprises a first sensor configured to detect an environmental condition including at least one of meteorological conditions, barometric pressure, seismic activity, temperature, humidity, and pollution and a second sensor configured to detect material quality.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second sensors are independently used to monitor quality of the three-dimensional product.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the feedback data stream includes at least one of production duration, digital production device connection quality, human input, production errors, authenticity data, environmental conditions, and digital production device settings.

### Claim 14

A system for digital production, the system comprising: a plurality of digital production devices for manufacturing three-dimensional objects; and a digital production management platform operatively connected to at least one of the plurality of digital production devices via a data network, the digital production management platform comprising one or more processors and at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the digital production management platform is configured to: receive a first data stream comprising an object design file, the object design file comprising a digital signature embedded within the object design file, wherein the digital signature contains at least one of a production date and an identifying code; confirm that production is authorized based on the digital signature; stream a second data stream to at least one of the plurality of digital production devices, the second data stream comprising at least a first portion of the received object design file, wherein the at least a first portion of the received object design file comprise production instructions; stream a third data stream to at least one of the one or more digital production devices, the third data stream comprising a second portion of the received object design file, wherein the second portion of the object design file is streamed after detecting the absence of the first portion of the object design file on the at least one or more digital production devices or after receiving a confirmation of removal of the first portion of the object design file from the one or more digital production devices; and receive a feedback data stream from the at least one digital production device comprising at least digital production status data; and track and determine the genealogy of a material used for manufacturing the three-dimensional object.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the digital production management platform is further configured to:
receive an object design file;
determine compatibility of the object design file with the plurality of digital production devices;
select a digital production device from the plurality of digital production devices based on the compatibility;
determine suitable production device settings for the selected digital production device; and
transmit the determined production device settings
stream the entire file of the processed object design file to the selected digital production device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, further comprising the digital production management platform being further configured to stream at least portions of the entire file of the processed object design file to the selected digital production device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the digital production management platform is further configured to:
process the object design file to ensure compatibility with the selected production device, wherein processing the object design file includes:
identifying object design characteristics;
ascertaining, from a database of object design characteristics, historical object designs; and
accessing, from the database of object design characteristics, historical production data from the production of the historical object designs.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein processing the object design file further includes modifying the object design file based at least in part upon the historical production data.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the digital production management platform is further configured to:
store object design file data comprising the object design file, any modifications performed thereto through processing, and production feedback data received from the feedback data stream.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the digital production management platform is further configured to:
process the object design file to reduce the likelihood of production errors; and
store in one or more databases, object design file data comprising the object design file, any modifications performed thereto through processing, and production feedback data received from the feedback data stream,
wherein processing the object design file includes:
identifying object design characteristics;
ascertaining, from a database of object design characteristics, similar historical object designs;
accessing, from the database of object design characteristics, historical production data from the production of the similar historical object designs;
modifying the object design file based at least in part upon the historical production data.