Interactive system and method for design, customization and manufacture of decorative textile substrates

An Internet-based system for enabling a user at a design terminal to access a digitally-defined subject image and customize said subject image to form a digitally-defined target design for decorating a textile substrate on a remotely-located automated patterning apparatus, said automated patterning apparatus comprising a plurality of individually-actuated colorant applicators through which corresponding respective liquid colorants may be selectively applied, in pixel-wise fashion, to the surface of said substrate in accordance with said digitally-defined pattern, said system comprising:

• a) a software interlace for enabling remote access, by said user at said design terminal, to an image manipulation design tool over a public communications network;
• b) an access device by which said digitally-defined subject image selected by said user may be functionally acquired by said image manipulation design tool, said tool enabling said user to customize said digitally-defined subject image wit the addition of artistic enhancements to form said digitally-defined target design;
• c) a dithering algorithm by which a dithered image may be generated from said digitally-defined target design using a dithering palette of colors, said palette being comprised of colors that can be generated at specified pixel locations on said substrate by the pixel-wise application of selected of said liquid colorants, individually and, alternatively, in various combinations, to said substrate;
• and
• d) a patterning device control system for transforming said dithered image into appropriate instructions for the actuation of each of said colorant applicators, by which a respective liquid colorant from each actuated color applicator may be selectively applied to said substrate in accordance with said instructions, thereby reproducing said digitally-defined target design on said substrate.

An interactive method for generating a decorative textile substrate on an automated patterning apparatus that directs pre-determined quantities of liquid colorants through a set of individually-addressable colorant applicators, said liquid colorants being selectively applied by said applicators to individual pixels on the substrate in accordance with digitally-encoded pattern data, said method comprising:

• a) providing a user with remote access to an image manipulation design tool over a public communications network;
• b) importing a digitized image selected by said user into said image manipulation design tool;
• c) enabling said user to customize said digitized image via said image manipulation design tool to form a desired target design to be transferred to said textile substrate;
• d) generating an order comprising pattern data corresponding to said desired target design:
• e) communicating said pattern data to said automated patterning apparatus;
• and
• f) generating appropriate actuation instructions for each of said color applicators associated with said patterning apparatus necessary to reproduce said target image on said decorative textile substrate in accordance with said pattern data.

A system allowing a user to generate a customized design and pattern a decorative textile substrate therewith through the use of an automated patterning apparatus, said automated patterning apparatus comprising a plurality of individual colorant applicators through which pre-determined quantities of respective individual colorants may be directed onto said substrate in accordance with pattern data corresponding to said customized design, said system comprising:

• a) a computer software interface device providing access to a remotely-located image manipulation design tool over a public communications network;
• b) a database for storing a plurality of digitized images capable of being incorporated into said customized design through use of said design tool;
• c) an Internet-based communication presented to said computer software interface device for enabling user selection of a digitized image and initiating input of a selected image as a desired target image to said image manipulation design tool;
• d) a dithering mechanism for generating a dithered image from said desired target image using a dithering palette of colors, said palette being comprised of colors that can be generated at specified locations on said substrate using said individual colorants;
• and,
• e) an Internet-based communication presented to said computer software interface device for enabling user generation of an order comprising pattern data corresponding to said dithered target image for download to said apparatus;
• and
• f) a mechanism receiving said generated order over said public communications network and generating appropriate dispensing instructions for each of said color applicators necessary to reproduce the dithered image on said substrate.

An interactive method to allow a user, from a remote location, to generate a custom design and to provide for the patterning of a decorative textile substrate with said custom design using an automated patterning apparatus, said apparatus comprising a plurality of process colorants that can be individually directed onto said substrate in accordance with pattern data derived from said custom design, said method comprising:

• a) providing said user with access to an image manipulation design tool over a public communications network;
• b) providing said user with access to a database containing a plurality of pre-defined candidate artistic elements, which may include subject images and artistic enhancements, capable of being incorporated into said custom design;
• c) providing a review and selection process by which said user can review and incorporate into said custom design, on a trial basis, a plurality of said candidate artistic elements prior to making a final selection of at least one of said elements;
• d) allowing said user to utilize said image manipulation design tool to modify, as desired, said final selection of said elements incorporated into said custom design to provide customization of said elements by said user to form, from said custom design, a custom target image to be transferred to said textile substrate;
• and
• e) communicating said target image to said automated patterning apparatus.