Footwear designing tool

Abstract

To provide, in designing footwear including footwear uppers, methods for providing designers with the ability to electronically visualize knit uppers to more realistically embody a manufactured knit upper.SOLUTION: The invention provides computer-based systems and methods for designing and customizing consumer products, articles of footwear, knit footwear uppers, and the like. In the systems and methods, a user connecting to an online design system generates and / or modifies footwear designs using a footwear design interface. Additionally or alternatively, the footwear design interface simulates the layout and / or operation of a knitting machine to provide the user with the impression of physically designing and / or manufacturing an article of footwear. The systems may disallow prospective footwear design changes based on limitations associated with inventory availability and footwear design characteristics.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 015698, entitled "FOOTWEAR DESIGNING TOOL," filed June 23, 2014, which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety for any and all non-limiting purposes.

[0002] FIELD OF THEINVENTION FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosed technology relates to systems and methods used to design footwear, more particularly, the disclosed technology relates to methods and systems for designing footwear, including footwear uppers. [Background technology]

[0003] A conventional athletic footwear article includes two main elements: an upper and a sole structure. The upper provides a covering for the foot that securely receives and positions the foot against the sole structure. In addition, the upper may have a configuration that protects and ventilates the foot, thereby cooling the foot and removing sweat. The sole structure is secured to the underside of the upper and is positioned generally between the foot and the ground. In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces and absorbing energy (i.e., transmitting cushioning), the sole structure may provide traction and control potentially harmful foot movements such as excessive pronation. Thus, the upper and sole structure work in concert to provide a comfortable structure suitable for a wide variety of ambulatory activities such as walking and running.

[0004] The upper forms a cavity within the footwear to receive the foot. The cavity has the overall shape of the foot, and access to the cavity is provided by the ankle opening. Thus, the upper extends over the instep and toe regions of the foot along the medial and lateral sides of the foot, and around the heel region of the foot. A lacing system is often incorporated into the upper to selectively increase the size of the ankle opening to accommodate feet with different proportions, and to allow the wearer to modify some dimensions of the upper, particularly the circumference. Additionally, the upper may include a tongue that extends under the lacing system to enhance the comfort of the footwear, and the upper may include a heel counter to limit heel movement.

[0005] A variety of materials may be utilized in manufacturing the upper. Some uppers are formed from knitted materials such as fiber yarns and / or textile yarns. Knitted uppers have a different appearance than uppers formed from other materials such as leather, synthetic leather, and rubber. During the design and manufacturing of knitted uppers, a designer creates the design and then one or more other people programs the knitting machine to manufacture the upper. The separation of parts of the design and manufacturing process may result in the development and manufacturing of several uppers before the designer approves the design that can be manufactured by the knitting machine. Multiple rounds or cycles of making numerous knitted uppers that do not meet the designer's envisioned design view may be costly in terms of time and resources. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Thus, there is a need in the art for a system and method that can electronically visualize a knitted upper during the design process, giving a designer the ability to more realistically represent the manufactured knitted upper. Such functionality can dramatically improve the design-to-manufacture process in knit engineering. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One or more of the above needs in the art are met by the disclosed systems and methods for designing footwear, including a footwear upper.

[0008] In certain aspects of the present disclosure, the disclosed techniques may be implemented, in whole or in part, using a computer-readable medium, for example, by storing computer-executable instructions or modules or by utilizing computer-readable data structures.

[0009] Of course, the methods and systems of the above-described embodiments may also include other additional elements, steps, computer-executable instructions, or computer-readable data structures.

[0010] These and other details of embodiments of the disclosed technology are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the disclosed technology will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] The disclosed technology is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the following accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers indicate similar elements and in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for designing footwear according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] 1 illustrates an example interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates a rendering of a footwear design according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2C] 1 illustrates an example interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2D] FIG. 1 illustrates a rendering of a footwear design according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2E] FIG. 1 illustrates a rendering of a footwear design according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2F]1A-1C illustrate portions of an example interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an example interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates a method for designing footwear according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Generally, as mentioned above, some aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for designing consumer products, such as articles of footwear.

[0013] Any desired type of footwear design data, such as the color of portions of the footwear (e.g., various uppers or elements), may be controlled, changed, or customized by a user of systems and methods according to aspects of the present disclosure. If desired, systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure may permit a user to choose from a variety of materials or other properties for various portions of the footwear article, such as, for example, different upper material(s); upper thickness(es); upper stiffness properties; arch support properties; impact attenuation properties; size, orientation, and / or location of openings or windows in the upper; patterns of openings provided in the upper; laser cutting designs and / or properties; laser etching designs and / or properties; and the like.

[0014] Although aspects of the present disclosure have been illustrated in conjunction with the design of footwear, they may also be used for the design of other consumer products, such as apparel and the like.

[0015] In the footwear example, a user may be permitted to select various features of the footwear and manipulate a visual image of the footwear from a user interface or software application displayed on a display screen. The user interface may display one or more tools to modify aspects of the footwear or otherwise manipulate various design data of the footwear, as described herein.

[0016] A user may use a computing device to access a design application and / or a website. The computing device establishes a communication channel within a network and communicates with a messaging server system (comprising one or more server computers) that provides interactive design features used to modify the design of a product. Any desired communication link and communication protocol may be used to provide and control data exchange between the computing device and the system, as disclosed in more detail below. A user may use a computing device to connect to the online design system via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the like. A user may connect to the system via a communication channel, such as website portals and applications from various internal and / or external sites that link their computing device to a manufacturer's portal.

[0017] As described in more detail below, any desired type of computing device may be used without departing from this disclosure, e.g., a computing device capable of establishing networked and / or peer-to-peer connections and capable of providing the necessary display, user interface, and input capabilities. Some more specific examples of computing devices that may be used in systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure include, without limitation, desktop computers, personal computers, laptop computers, palmtop computers, handheld computers, mobile phones, any other mobile device or smartphone, personal digital assistants, computer workstations, televisions, and the like.

[0018] A computing device that may be used in the systems and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include one or more input devices and a data processing system (e.g., including one or more microprocessors). Examples of input devices that may be included with a computing device include, but are not limited to, conventional input devices such as a keyboard (hard or soft); a mouse, trackball, rollerball, touchpad, or other pointing device; a stylus or other pen-type input device (e.g., for tablet PC-type computing devices); a disk drive; a USB port; a network connection; a joystick-type controller; a telephone connection; an Ethernet connection; and voice recognition capabilities. Similarly, a computing device may have "touch screen" capabilities so that a user can input data into the computing device by physically touching the screen of the display with a selection device such as the user's finger or a stylus pen. In addition, any desired type of display device may be provided for use with the computing device of the systems and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure, such as a display device integrated with the computing device itself or a display device separate from but in communication with the computing device, such as a projector display, a separate monitor display, etc.

[0019] 1 illustrates a system for designing and manufacturing a footwear upper. A computing device, such as design computer 102, may be programmed with software modules that, when executed by at least one processor, perform various functions. The software includes computer-executable instructions that may be stored in at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a solid-state memory or a magnetic memory.

[0020] The design computer 102 may be connected to a network (not shown) in any desired manner, such as conventional wired or wireless connections known and used in the art, and using any network connection protocol, without departing from aspects of the disclosure. Systems and methods according to embodiments of the disclosure may provide a user interface display on a user's computing device. This interface may allow a user to view the subject matter of the design effort and allow the user to introduce their input into the design effort. User interfaces may be provided on various devices and controlled by the user's computing device and / or server system, and data that generates, holds, and receives input through the user interface may be generated and provided via computer readable media incorporated as part of or associated with the computing device and / or server system. Examples of such computer readable media include, without limitation, computer readable memory, which may be internal to the computer (e.g., a hard drive) or separate from the computer (e.g., disk, solid state or flash memory device, data available over a network type connection, etc.), including any type of computer readable media conventionally known and used in the computer arts.

[0021] The color library 111 may contain various color values. The individual color values ​​may be located in a database, such as a FileMaker Pro database. In one embodiment, the color values ​​have four channels, such as CMYK color values. In another embodiment, the color values ​​have three channels, such as RGB color values. The individual color values ​​may correspond to the colors of various materials (e.g., yarns) that are in stock or available to the footwear upper manufacturer. As another example, the heather library 110 may be connected to the design computer 102 via the Internet. The heather library may contain various heather patterns made by one or more knitting machines available to the footwear upper manufacturer. The last library 112 may contain shoe lasts of various shapes and styles. The last library may also store data files corresponding to base footwear designs. The grading library 113 may contain a collection of previously graded uppers. This collection may identify footwear features such as structure location and other attributes along with refinements made to grade the base design for use with a range of shoe sizes.

[0022] As described in more detail in connection with FIG. 2, a design website, interface, and / or application such as those described herein may, for example, display various patterns or models available for custom design in a portion of the interface display. These various different models of a product (footwear) may include templates or "base" models available for a user to select from as part of the design process. Such "base" models or templates may be added to or modified based on a user's selections during the design process.

[0023] Some of the components depicted in FIG. 1 may communicate data to and from the design computer 102 during a design session. For example, the UI 115 may establish a communication channel with the design computer 102 to provide a user interface for customizing or modifying a footwear design. As another example, the construction rules component 120 may provide the design computer 102 with data related to one or more construction rules associated with the physical and / or structural integrity required for the footwear upper to be manufactured and the corresponding base footwear design. As will be described in more detail, these construction rules may somewhat limit the user's ability to modify certain aspects of the footwear design during a design session in order to maintain the structural integrity of the footwear upper as it is manufactured and for use by the wearer. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the construction rules associated with the physical and / or structural integrity required for the footwear upper may vary based on the type of footwear (e.g., running footwear, basketball footwear, football footwear, etc.).

[0024] The design computer 102 may house various modules, including a design module 103 that processes various design changes made to the footwear design using the user interface 115. The design module 103 may also render an image of the footwear design according to the processed design changes. The design computer 102 may include a grading module 104 that processes and determines changes that may be applied to the footwear design based on the grading change (e.g., an increase or decrease in footwear size). For example, the grading module 104 may retrieve information associated with the base footwear design and compare this information to data stored in the grading library 113 to render new base designs for different footwear gradings. In some embodiments, the grading module 104 may recommend one or more design changes to the base footwear design in view of the processed grading information.

[0025] Design computer 102 may include a structural evaluation module 105 that processes data to determine whether design changes made to the footwear design via user interface 115 are acceptable. For example, structural evaluation module 105 may retrieve information associated with the base footwear design and compare this information to data from structural rules component 120 to determine whether the design changes conform to predefined structural rules and / or physical constraints associated with the base footwear design and / or the knitting machine used to manufacture the footwear upper. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, evaluation module 105 may be in operative communication with a database (or other suitable form of storage device) that stores a plurality of predefined structural integrity characteristics associated with each of the base footwear designs that are available for selection by a user.

[0026] Design computer 102 may include a bill of materials module 106 that processes data related to the availability of various materials that may be utilized to manufacture footwear upper 140 according to the footwear design. Design computer 102 may retrieve information associated with the base footwear design and compare this information to data related to the current supply or inventory of materials 130 to determine whether requested design changes are acceptable.

[0027] Design computer 102 may further include a cost estimation module 107 that processes data related to the cost of producing upper 140 based on the footwear design. Design computer 102 may retrieve information associated with the footwear design and compare the information to data collected by and / or stored in cost estimation module 107 to calculate the cost of producing footwear upper 140 based on the footwear design, and determine whether the cost exceeds any predefined cost threshold. Cost estimation module 107 may recommend one or more design changes to the footwear design to reduce the estimated cost below the predefined cost threshold.

[0028] The design computer 102 may further include a time estimation module 108 that processes data related to the time required to manufacture the upper 140 based on the footwear design. The design computer 102 may retrieve information associated with the footwear design and compare the information to data collected by and / or stored in the time estimation module 108 to calculate the time required to manufacture the footwear upper 140 based on the footwear design, and determine whether the time exceeds any predefined time threshold. The time estimation module 108 may recommend one or more design changes to the footwear design to reduce the estimated manufacturing time below the predefined time threshold. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an interface or sub-interface may be displayed to the user during a design session that represents the time required to manufacture the footwear upper in view of the current footwear design. As the user modifies the footwear design, the interface (or sub-interface) may be updated to reflect the updated time required to manufacture the footwear upper.

[0029] The design computer 102 may further include various interface units and drives for reading and writing data or files. Exemplary interface units and drives include a keyboard, a pointing device, a microphone, a pen device, a touch screen, or other input devices.

[0030] As previously mentioned, some of the components shown in Fig. 1 may be connected to each other via a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). For example, the color library 111 may be connected to the design computer 102 via the Internet. In another embodiment, the design computer 102 may transmit knitting instructions in the form of an encrypted file to the knitting machine 135 via the Internet. The system shown in Fig. 1 may include conventional network components (not shown), such as switches, wireless access points, and routers, to connect the illustrated components.

[0031] Various features of the user interface generated by the computing device to accept user input and provide design information to the user are described in more detail below. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the following description and accompanying drawings are merely representative of examples of potential features, functions, arrangements of interface components, orientation of interface components, combinations of interface components, and the like, in systems, methods, and user interfaces according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0032] An additional aspect of the present disclosure relates to a user interface provided on a computing device that enables a user to design footwear (or other consumer products). The user interface may include elements and features that enable the use and / or activation of any of the features and / or functions described above and / or any of the features and / or functions described in more detail below.

[0033] As some more specific examples, aspects of the disclosure relate to a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for generating a user interface for a footwear design session on a computer-controlled display device. The user interface may include, for example, (a) a first display portion including at least one rendering of the footwear; (b) one or more selector elements (such as a pointer or cursor) through which a first user can select a portion of the footwear article; (c) indicators that indicate the portion(s) of the footwear article selected via the respective selector elements (such as a text icon, picture, animation, etc.); and (d) a first element that causes a change in the appearance of the rendering of the footwear article on the first display portion based on input generated by the first user. The first element (or at least some elements of the interface) may include a feature such as a color palette or color menu that allows a user to change the color of a selected portion of the footwear article and / or a component (e.g., a knit material) of the footwear article. It may include one or more directional elements that allow a user to change the orientation of the footwear article when drawn on the first display; one-way, two-way, or multi-way user communication elements or features (such as text input and display panel(s), instant messaging capabilities, audio and / or video communication capabilities, etc.); etc. The user interface may further include an input portion by which the first user can input data used to set up a collaborative footwear design session with a second user (or another user).

[0034] Given this general background and information, more detailed information regarding specific embodiments of the systems, methods, computer-readable media, and user interfaces according to the present disclosure is described in more detail below. It should be understood that the more detailed description is directed to various specific embodiments of the present disclosure and their features and functions, and this description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0035] In at least some embodiments of the present disclosure, a design session may be launched or initiated from a user's online shopping venture. FIG. 2A illustrates an example interface for modifying a footwear design according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As described in more detail below, during the creation of a base footwear design, a user may modify the base footwear design based on various user selections during the design process, including the creation of certain design features. After a base footwear design is created and / or selected, a user may customize the footwear design based on various user selections, including the selection of knit structures, materials, and colors that may be applied to the footwear design.

[0036] Initiation of a design session may result in the launching of a customization website or web page or customization application program or software to create a user interface screen 200, such as the screen shown in Figure 2A. Similarly, initiation of a design session may result in the generation of a customization session identification number (e.g., a unique "session ID") for these sessions (e.g., by a server or other computing device controlling the session and the transfer of data associated with the session).

[0037] In some aspects of the disclosure, user interface 200 may be generated by computing device 102. User interface 200 may be configured to have the same functionality as user interface 115. User interface 200 may include various customization features in any desired arrangement, orientation, or display without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0038] As will be discussed in more detail with reference to FIGURE 3, user interface 200 may correspond to and / or simulate the physical layout and operation of knitting machine 135 to give the user the impression that they are physically designing and / or manufacturing a footwear upper according to the footwear design. Such a layout is intended to ease the cognitive burden for the user when relating the relationship between the inventory and / or supply of material 130, the physical constraints of knitting machine 135 used to manufacture footwear upper 140, and the limitations on design choices in order to maintain the structural integrity of upper 140.

[0039] The software generating the user interface may reside on a computer-readable medium that is resident on or available to a computing device or server system. Alternatively, if desired, the software or at least a portion(s) thereof may reside on more than one computing device or server system. The server system may be operated and maintained by the same organization(s) or individual(s) that operate and / or maintain the computing devices and / or networks, or the server system may be operated, controlled, and maintained by an entity separate from some or all of these entities. As some more specific examples, the server system may be operated and maintained (and the user interface software may be operated and maintained) by one or more entities (e.g., a manufacturer, a vendor selected by a manufacturer or retailer, etc.) whose products are marketed according to the design systems and methods described below.

[0040] In some aspects of the disclosure, and as described in more detail below, user interface 200 may include a portion in which the product being customized appears (e.g., portions 201, 202), a "color palette" portion for selecting colors for various components (e.g., portion 210), one or more controls for changing the appearance or perspective of the product in portion 201 (e.g., rotation controls, zooming in, zooming out, changing the displayed view, etc.), an "redo" control (for redoing a previously undone operation or design change), a cost information panel, and a product design information panel. While the product design information may be provided in any desired manner without departing from aspects of the disclosure, the product design information panel (not shown) may provide information regarding the various portions of the footwear being designed, e.g., color information, size information, material information, etc.

[0041] A user interface, such as user interface 115 or user interface 120, may display, for example, in a portion of an interface display, such as display 201, various shoe lasts that are available when creating a base footwear design. The various shoe lasts may be retrieved from a shoe last library, such as library 112. When a user selects a shoe last, the user interface may provide the user with the option of creating a "base" footwear design that corresponds to the selected shoe last (e.g., is the same or similar in size, shape, style, etc.). Such a base footwear design may be edited or modified based on user selections during the design process. For example, a user may draw or paint various features on the base footwear design to depict the "styling" of the footwear design. It will be appreciated that the user interface may provide the user with various tools to create and / or modify various features of the base footwear design. The user may store the created and / or modified footwear design in memory.

[0042] If desired, the user may retrieve predefined base footwear designs from memory. For example, the base footwear designs may be stored in a data file in the memory of design computer 102. These base footwear designs may include footwear designs previously created by the user or other users and available for the user to select as a first step in the design process.

[0043] The base footwear designs serve as blueprints for knitters, such as knitter 135, to manufacture the footwear uppers. As discussed further below, each base footwear design may include data defining various structural and / or physical constraints of a corresponding footwear upper, such as upper 140, that may limit a user's design options. Thus, while a user may modify or edit a base footwear design during the design process, some design choices may be constrained during the design process or must be approved by design computer 102 before design changes are implemented. Such design constraints provide a user or designer with a "real world" perspective when making design choices that may impact the manufacturing process of the footwear upper.

[0044] The user interface provides practical principles for delineating limitations in some design choices due to various factors, including the physical limitations of the knitting machine. For example, the user interface may not allow the user to design features that are too small to be knitted by the knitting machine, or features that may be impractical given limitations (e.g., cost, time, etc.) during the manufacturing process, so the user may be limited to the detail (e.g., point size of a digital paint brush) that may be used when creating or modifying features of the base footwear design. In one embodiment, each stitch of the knit pattern may be represented by less than one pixel. This "real world" perspective provided by the user interface may increase efficiency and reduce the amount of work required during the design and manufacturing process of the footwear upper, may result in faster iterations of the footwear design created by the user during the design and manufacturing process, and may allow for more accurate representations of the footwear design created during the design and manufacturing process.

[0045] Other features and functionality may be provided in the user interface as desired without departing from this disclosure. The following features and functionality may be provided in some manner via the interface: the ability to return directly to a previously viewed interface screen, the ability to save the design, the ability to print the design, the ability to store this design in a location for sharing with others (which may bring up an interface allowing for identification of specific people, classes of people, or groups (public or private) with which to share the design), the ability to return to a default design (e.g., a blank product from which the customization process was initiated for this product, or for some other intermediate default design (possibly selected and stored by the user)), and the ability to end or abort the session.

[0046] Another feature that may be included in a computer interface is a "previous operation" function that allows the user to view the last few steps in a design session (and possibly see a list of all steps in a design session) and more detail about an individually displayed step (e.g., more specifics about color, position, size, material or directional selection, etc.), or the like. The "previous operation" tool may allow the user to select any desired individual step for further manipulation, such as an "undo" operation (undoing that step), a "view" change operation (e.g., causing the interface to highlight changes made at that step in the user's view), a reselect operation (e.g., causing the interface to reselect the same part for further manipulation), etc.

[0047] Another potential feature that may be included in systems, methods, and computer interfaces according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure is the inclusion of a "cost variance" icon (although other interface elements may be used to activate this functionality). User selection of this interface element may provide the user with information and the opportunity to modify various features of the designed shoe to increase or decrease the cost of the designed shoe (possibly with little or no performance change, although some anticipated impact on performance may be displayed for the user's consideration). For example, interaction with this interface element may provide the cost associated with design changes made to the base footwear design. As a more specific example, changing the material and / or material placement of some portion(s) of the upper may make the shoe more comfortable, more stable, and / or otherwise affect the performance characteristics of the shoe. As another example, the interface may advise the user of the cost associated with adding another design element or feature to the shoe (e.g., changing the knit structure of the upper, adding additional knit material types or colors to the upper, etc.) or modifying existing design elements or features (e.g., changing the size of various design elements, changing materials, etc.). A cost change associated with removing or modifying a design element or feature may also be provided. Systems, methods, and computer interfaces according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure may display a list of various options to the user along with the cost difference associated with the options, or may make this type of cost difference information available to the user in some other manner.

[0048] Referring again to FIG. 2A , in this illustrated embodiment, user interface 200 includes display portion 201 on which a 3D view of the footwear design appears, display portion 202 on which a “lay-flat” 2D view of the footwear design appears, portion 219 representing one or more knit structures of the footwear design (e.g., knit structures 221-223), a drop down list 224 for selecting a knit structure, portion 225 representing a “material swatch” that displays a texture image representing the knit structure based on one or more color values ​​selected for the materials (e.g., yarn structures) comprising the knit structure, a grayscale 205 indicating where the various knit structures correspond to particular “zones” (or areas) on the mapped or rendered image of the base footwear design, and a “color picker” or “color palette” portion 210 for selecting colors for the various materials and / or knit structures that may comprise the footwear design.

[0049] The user interface may further include one or more drop-down lists 211 for selecting various color options (or color values) of the color palette, and a color vector 215 indicating the color options that are assigned to one or more knit structures of the footwear design. The color palette 210 may identify various colors of knit materials selected by the user to be incorporated into the footwear design. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a first color palette portion 210 corresponding to menu 211 is green, thus indicating that a green knit material is to be incorporated into the footwear design. Similarly, the respective colors for each color palette portion may represent the corresponding color of the knit material used to design and manufacture the footwear (e.g., portion 212 indicates that a light green color has been selected, portion 213 indicates that a red color has been selected, portion 214 indicates that a yellow color has been selected, etc.).

[0050] Changes to various portions of the footwear design may be made in any desired manner without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a user may first use a pointer to "select" a knit structure associated with a particular zone (or area) of the base footwear design. Once selected, the user may make changes to the knit structure. For example, to change the color of the knit structure, the user may first move the pointer over a representation of the desired part in the display (e.g., drop-down list 211) and "click" a mouse button (or other input device) to "select" the part. This selection operation may cause the interface to display a list of available color options (e.g., color values) that may be applied to the knit structure. Each color option in the list may have a specific color name or color reference code. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the system may limit the number of available colors (and / or other design options) that may be applied to the footwear design. Additionally or alternatively, this selection operation may cause the interface to highlight the corresponding part of the footwear in some way, for example, by enlarging it, by coloring it differently, or by thickening an outer border.

[0051] When a color option is selected, the user may associate a color choice with the knit structure by drawing a color vector (e.g., color vector 215) from a color palette portion (e.g., portion 214) to the knit structure. One or more color vectors may be drawn from a particular portion of the color palette to one or more knit structures in a manner permitted by the base footwear design without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The user may be limited to a predetermined number of color choices that may be associated with a particular knit structure based on rules provided by construction rules component 120 or other components in the system shown in FIG. 1. In some aspects of the present disclosure, a particular footwear design may be associated with a particular construction rule based on a manufacturing process to create footwear utilizing the footwear design. For example, construction rules associated with a first footwear design template may be configured to allow a knit structure to incorporate a predetermined number of colors.

[0052] Another example feature of systems, methods, and computer interfaces according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a "Cost" or "Price" box. This element of the user interface tracks the cost of the footwear in its current design state. When one or more features of the shoe are designed or changed, this may change the cost of the shoe somewhat (e.g., if more expensive materials are used, if more customization is needed, if additional manufacturing steps or different manufacturing techniques are needed, etc.). The interface may maintain a price display so that the user can be aware of which changes to the design caused the price change, allowing the user to have greater control over the final price of the product.

[0053] As previously discussed, the various color options available to a user in color palette 210 may correspond to the various materials 130 (e.g., yarn constructions) available for manufacturing footwear upper 140. As a result, a user may be limited to the number and / or type of color options that may be used for a footwear design and / or associated with a particular knit construction based on data provided by bill of materials module 106, other components shown in FIG. 1, or another computing device.

[0054] The user design options may be further limited based on the estimated time and / or cost to manufacture an upper with the corresponding footwear design. After associating one or more color options with the knit structure, material swatch 225 may display a texture image of the knit structure representing the updated color effects. The user may have the option to render updated 2D and 3D views of the footwear design during the design session. This may be accomplished by selecting a "Render" icon on interface 200 (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may automatically update portions 201 and 202 to display the footwear design with the updated color effects and other design changes.

[0055] As another example, a user may have the option of changing the heather pattern associated with a knitted structure. The user may have the option of selecting from one or more predefined heathers stored in the heather library 110, or the user may design a new heather pattern for the knitted structure. For example, to change the heather pattern for a knitted structure, the user may move a pointer over a depiction of a desired part in a representation of the structure and "click" a mouse button (or other input device) to "select" a desired leather option. This selection action may cause an interface to display a list of available predefined heather options that may be applied to the corresponding knitted structure. The user's ability to create or modify heather patterns is limited by the architectural and physical constraints of the available knitting machines utilized to manufacture the footwear (or other products).

[0056] As yet another example, a user may have the option to add or modify a knit structure for a footwear design. A user may modify a "zone" of the footwear design associated with a particular knit structure by using a pointer to "select" the knit structure. Once selected, a user may change the position of the knit structure with respect to the grayscale 205 by "dragging" the knit structure to a desired location along the grayscale 205. As will be discussed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2B-2D, each color reference along the grayscale 205 may indicate where a different knit structure corresponds to a particular "zone" (or area) on a rendering or mapping of the base footwear design. After the knit structure is placed in a new location along the grayscale 205, displays 201 and 202 of interface 200 may reflect the change in the knit structure and corresponding design attributes.

[0057] Portions of the user interface depicting knit structures (e.g., knit structures 220-223) may be positioned along a grayscale, such as grayscale 205, in user interface 200. It will be appreciated that the grayscale may provide color references that correspond to various zones on the image of the base footwear design. For example, as shown in portions 201 and 202, user interface 200 may depict a rendered image of the base footwear design that includes a grayscale mapping based on the position of knit structures 220-23 along grayscale 205. As shown by elements 230-33, one or more color references on the grayscale (e.g., "darker gray," "dark gray," "gray," "light gray," etc.) may correspond to specific zones on the rendered image (or portions) of the base footwear design, and as described in more detail below, a knit structure may be associated with one or more special zones on the base footwear design. Each knit structure assigned to a zone(s) of the base footwear design may have its own unique pattern, heathering, coloring, and other characteristics.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, by positioning a knit structure adjacent (or in line with) a particular color reference on the grayscale 205, a zone (or area) of the base footwear design associated with the color reference may adopt the design characteristics (e.g., color, heather, etc.) of said knit structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the "darker gray" reference of the grayscale 205 is located toward the left-most portion of the grayscale. Additionally, various zones of the footwear design may be shown in portions 201 and 202 of the user interface 200.

[0059] For example, a darker gray reference in the grayscale 205 may be associated with a first knit structure and may further indicate (or correspond to) a first zone of the footwear design depicted in portion 201. In this example, the first zone of the footwear design is indicated by a darker gray portion of the footwear design, as depicted by element 209 in FIG. 2A. The first knit structure adjacent (or in line with) the darker gray reference in the grayscale 205 may cause the first zone of the footwear design to inherit features, attributes, and / or properties of the first knit structure. Similarly, positioning a second knit structure adjacent (or in line with) the darker gray reference in the grayscale 205 may cause the first zone of the footwear design to inherit features, attributes, and / or properties of the second knit structure.

[0060] As another example, the dark gray reference of the grayscale 205 may be associated with the knitted structure and may further indicate (or correspond to) a second zone of the footwear design as depicted in Figure 2A by element 208. Additionally, the gray reference of the grayscale 205 may be associated with the knitted structure and may further indicate a third zone of the footwear design as depicted by element 206, and the light gray reference of the grayscale 205 may be associated with the knitted structure and may further indicate a fourth zone of the footwear design as depicted by element 207.

[0061] 2B-2E show additional example views of 2D and 3D images of a base footwear design that may appear in user interface 200. FIG. 2B shows an example rendering of an image representing a "lay-flat" 2D view of the base footwear design. This example 2D view of the base footwear design (e.g., element 229) may be presented on display 202 of user interface 200. It will be seen that the lay-flat 2D view comprises a graphical representation of a knit material corresponding to the base footwear design. FIG. 2C depicts an example interface screen (e.g., interface screen 239) displaying a 3D view of the base footwear design. This example 3D view of the base footwear design may be presented on display 201 of user interface 200. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the 3D view of the footwear design may include a color-coded mapping of various zones of the footwear design.

[0062] As previously mentioned, the base footwear design may be represented by various zones that may correspond to different knit structures for the footwear to be manufactured. For example, the base footwear design depicted in FIG. 2C includes at least four different zones, each zone having special design features and / or characteristics, and represented by different colors in the user interface to distinguish the various zones. In the example depicted in FIG. 2C, the first zone (corresponding to element 233) is represented by a red color; the second zone (corresponding to element 232) is represented by a yellow color, the third zone (corresponding to element 231) is a teal color, and the fourth zone (corresponding to element 230) is represented by a purple color. FIG. 2C further depicts a fifth zone in the base footwear design (corresponding to element 235), represented by a blue color.

[0063] 2a, knit structure 223 is positioned adjacent (or in line with) the darker gray reference on grayscale 205. Thus, knit structure 223 and its corresponding design features (e.g., color, heather, etc.) may be associated with a corresponding zone (e.g., a first zone) of the base footwear design. In some embodiments, an image or rendering of the footwear design may be dynamically updated to reflect user designs, such as changes to the knit structure of the footwear design.

[0064] 2D depicts a rendered image of a base footwear design that may be displayed in a portion of user interface 200. The rendered image of the footwear design includes a mapping of the knit structure (e.g., knit structures 220-23) displayed in user interface 200. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rendering of the footwear design may be dynamically updated to reflect user design changes, such as changes to the knit structure of the footwear design.

[0065] 2C, the first zone of the base footwear design depicted by element 233 may be associated with a special knit structure and may be rendered in the 3D graphic representation of the footwear, as shown in FIG. 2D. When a knit structure, such as knit structure 223, is positioned adjacent to a special color reference on grayscale 205 corresponding to the first zone, the knit structure and its corresponding design attributes may be associated with the first zone of the base footwear design and then rendered in a portion of user interface 200. In this particular example, knit structure 223 would correspond to a knit structure having a first heather pattern and including various color and shading knit materials, such as a yellow and green knit material, as shown in FIG. 2D. Those portions of the base footwear design corresponding to the first zone in FIG. 2C, as depicted by element 233, are shown in FIG. 2D as being associated with the special knit structure having a first heather pattern and various shading of yellow and green knit materials by knit structure 223. As previously mentioned and described in more detail below, the properties and / or attributes of a knitted structure, such as knitted structure 223, may be adjusted or modified in various ways by a user. Additionally or alternatively, the user may associate a second knitted structure with a first zone of the footwear design. Further, the user interface may visually modify a graphical representation of the design, such as the rendering depicted in FIG. 2D, to reflect any changes and / or modifications made to one or more knitted structures.

[0066] With reference to the above examples, as shown in FIG. 2C, element 232 depicts a second zone of the footwear design and is represented by the color yellow on the rendered image of the base footwear design. With reference again to FIG. 2a, knit structure 222 may be positioned adjacent to a particular color reference on grayscale 205 that corresponds to the second zone of the footwear design (e.g., element 232). Thus, knit structure 222 and its corresponding design attributes (e.g., color, heather, etc.) may be associated with the second zone of the footwear design. As an example, with reference to FIGS. 2C and 2D, the second zone of the base footwear design may be associated with knit structure 222 in view of the knit structure placement along grayscale 205 and the grayscale mapping of the zone for the footwear design, as described above with reference to portion 201 of user interface 200. Knit structure 222 has a second heather pattern (e.g., horizontal stripes) and corresponds to a knit structure including colors or various shades of knit material (e.g., yellow, blue, and green knit material) as shown in Fig. 2D. Those portions of the footwear design that correspond to the second zone in Fig. 2C, as depicted by element 232, may be rendered to include characteristics associated with knit structure 222 (e.g., the second heather pattern and various shades of yellow, blue, and green knit material).

[0067] With reference to the above examples, as shown in FIG. 2C, element 231 depicts a third zone of the footwear design and is represented by a teal color on the rendered image of the base footwear design. With reference again to FIG. 2a, knit structure 221 may be positioned adjacent to a special color reference on grayscale 205 that corresponds to the third zone of the footwear design (e.g., element 231). Thus, knit structure 221 and its corresponding design attributes (e.g., color, heather, etc.) may be associated with the third zone of the footwear design. As an example, with reference to FIGS. 2C and 2D, the third zone of the base footwear design may be associated with knit structure 221 in view of the knit structure placement along grayscale 205 and the grayscale mapping of the zone for the footwear design, as described above with reference to portion 201. Knit structure 221 has a third heather pattern and corresponds to a knit structure including a variety of shaded knit materials (e.g., green knit materials) as shown in FIG. 2D. As depicted by element 231, those portions of the footwear design corresponding to the second zone in FIG. 2C may be rendered to include characteristics associated with knit structure 221 (e.g., a third heather pattern and various shades of green knit material).

[0068] Finally, as shown in FIG. 2C, element 230 depicts a fourth zone of the footwear design and is represented by the color purple on the rendered image of the base footwear design. Referring again to FIG. 2a, knit structure 220 may be positioned adjacent to a special color reference on grayscale 205 that corresponds to the fourth zone of the footwear design (e.g., element 230). As a result, knit structure 220 and its corresponding design attributes (e.g., color, heather, etc.) may be associated with the fourth zone of the footwear design. As an example, referring to FIGS. 2C and 2D, the fourth zone of the base footwear design may be associated with knit structure 220 in view of the knit structure placement along grayscale 205 and the grayscale mapping of the zones for the footwear design, as described above with reference to portion 201. Thus, knit structure 220 and its corresponding design attributes may be associated with the fourth zone of the base footwear design. In this particular example, knit structure 220 would have a fourth heather pattern and correspond to a knit structure including various shades of green and blue knit materials as shown in Figure 2. As depicted by element 230, those portions of the base footwear design that correspond to the fourth zone in Figure 2C may be rendered to include the characteristics associated with knit structure 220 (e.g., the fourth heather pattern and various shades of green and blue knit materials).

[0069] FIG. 2E illustrates an example of an interface screen 259 that presents a 3D graphical representation of a base footwear design in portion 257 of the interface screen. The 3D graphical representation of the base footwear design includes color and texture mapping of various zones of the base footwear design based on design attributes (e.g., color, heather, etc.) of a plurality of corresponding knitted structures. In this illustrated example, the base footwear design includes at least seven zones, with each zone represented by a knitted structure having a different design attribute, as shown by elements 250-257. A user may interact with interface screen 259 to modify design attributes of one or more knitted structures (corresponding to elements 250-257) that make up the base footwear. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a user may modify design characteristics for one or more zones of the base footwear design by modifying the position of the knitted structures in portion 258 of interface screen 259. As the user changes the position of one or more knit structures in portion 258 of the interface screen, the rendered design attributes of the various zones of the base footwear design shown in portion 25 of the interface screen may be updated to reflect the design attributes. It will be appreciated that the position of the knit structure need not relate to grayscale, but may be referenced with respect to various other scales or positions within the portion of the interface screen that may show one or more zones (or areas) of the footwear design.

[0070] FIG. 2F depicts a user interface 260 for selecting various color values ​​(e.g., color choices) to assign to a knit structure. As previously described, one or more color values ​​may be assigned to a particular knit structure, which may be associated with a zone of a footwear design. As shown in FIG. 2F, a first color (corresponding to element 261) and a second color (corresponding to element 262) have been assigned to the knit structure. The first color and second color may correspond to RGB, CMYK, or other suitable color values, respectively. A display portion 263 of the user interface shows a graphical rendering of an image representing the selected knit structure and its corresponding design attributes, including color and heather. As a user modifies the first and second color values ​​of the knit structure, the display portion 263 of the interface screen may be dynamically updated to reflect the changes (and / or received user input).

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user interface may provide a tool to the user that provides color choices including multiple colors. For example, referring to FIG. 2F, secondary colors 265 and 266 may be combined to generate a new color that may be assigned to the knit structure. The display portion 263 of the user interface then renders a new image representing the selected knit structure and its corresponding design attributes, including the new color values.

[0072] Other features and functionality may be provided in the interface, as desired, without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The following features and functionality may be provided in some manner via the interface: the ability to save the design, the ability to print the design, the ability to store this design in a location for sharing with others (which may bring up an interface allowing the identification of specific people, classes of people, or groups (public or private) with which to share the design), the ability to return (e.g., to a blank product from which the customization process was initiated for this product, or to some other intermediate default design, possibly selected and stored by the user), and the ability to end or abort the design session.

[0073] 3 illustrates an example interface for modifying a footwear image according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As previously discussed, user design options may be constrained based on a number of factors, including construction rules, manufacturing costs, manufacturing time, and material inventory or supply.

[0074] The user interface 300 includes a knitting machine image 335, a palette of color criteria 310, one or more color vectors (e.g., vector 315), a portion of the interface representing a knit structure (e.g., knit structure 320), and a display portion 301 showing a rendering of the footwear design. The user interface 300 may display animations illustrating various design options and selections made by the user during the design process. It will be appreciated that components of the user interface 300 may include the same or similar features and functionality as corresponding components in the interface 200. For example, the color criteria palette 310 may include the same or similar features and / or functionality as the color palette 210. For example, although not shown in FIG. 3, the color criteria 311 may include a drop-down menu to provide a list of available color values. By selecting or hovering a pointer (e.g., a mouse pointer) over an interface component such as the color criteria 311 or the knit structure 320, the user interface 300 may display additional information associated with the component.

[0075] As another example, knit structure 320 may include the same or similar features and / or functionality as knit structure 220. For example, although not shown in FIG. 3, knit structure 320 may include a display of a texture image (e.g., a material swatch) associated with the knit structure, or may include an icon that allows a user to modify the heather associated with the knit structure. Similar to user interface 200, a user may draw a color vector 315 in user interface 300 to associate (assign) a color value to a particular knit structure. After the color vector is drawn or modified, user interface 300 may graphically show material (such as yarn from one or more spools associated with the selected color value) that is positioned on one or more portions of knitting machine image 335, as shown in element 336.

[0076] As yet another example, display unit 301 may include the same or similar features and functionality as display unit 201 and display unit 202. Display unit 301 may depict a graphical representation (or rendering) of a footwear upper according to a user's footwear design.

[0077] Knitting machine image 335 in user interface 300 may serve as a graphical representation of a knitting machine (e.g., knitting machine 135) used to produce the footwear upper (e.g., upper 140). Materials, such as material 130, used by knitting machine 135 to produce footwear upper 140 may be graphically represented in knitting machine image 335. For example, as shown by element 310, each color or color criteria selected by the user may be graphically represented in knitting machine image 335 by one or more spools of yarn (or some other material).

[0078] As the user selects and / or modifies various design options, these options may be reflected (e.g., graphically represented or simulated) in the knitting machine image 335. For example, changes made to the color values ​​of the color reference 310 may be reflected in the knitting machine image 335 by modifying one or more spools of thread to correspond to the new color values. As another example, the number of colors that may be used for a particular footwear design may be graphically represented by the number of spools in the knitting machine image 335. In this example, empty spools may represent undefined or available color references that may be added to a color palette.

[0079] It will be appreciated that a user's design options may be limited based on constraints associated with footwear design, such as material inventory, construction rules, and the physical constraints of the knitting machine. For example, due to constraints on the supply of certain materials used to manufacture the footwear upper, a user may be given a limited number of color options that correspond to the inventory or supply of those materials (e.g., yarns). Thus, when a user selects color criteria 311, the user may be provided with a list of color options that correspond to materials currently in stock. As another example, due to structural or physical constraints of the knitting machine, a user may be limited in the number of color options that may be assigned to a particular knitted structure. For example, if a knitting machine, such as knitting machine 135, has a predetermined number of "feeders," a user may be limited in the number of color combinations or colors that may be assigned to a knitted structure based on the number of feeders in the knitting machine.

[0080] FIG. 4 illustrates a method of designing footwear according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. The steps identified in FIG. 4 may be performed using a system such as the system illustrated in FIG. 1. Initially, in step 402, a data file corresponding to a base footwear design may be received by the system. The data file may identify various visual and physical attributes (e.g., features) associated with the base footwear design. In some embodiments, a user may select a base footwear design from a plurality of base footwear designs stored by the system. Next, in step 401, the system may retrieve one or more design characteristics associated with the footwear design received during step 402. The design characteristics for the footwear design may be retrieved from various sources, such as the grading library 113, the last library 112, the color library 111, etc. In some embodiments, the base footwear design may be edited or modified by a user. The system may store the edited footwear design in memory.

[0081] Next, in step 406, the system may receive design input that assigns one or more knit structures to the footwear design. A user, via a user interface (e.g., UI 115), may identify one or more knit structures to be associated (e.g., mapped) to special zones (or areas) of the footwear design. The knit structures include design attributes that represent various materials (e.g., yarn structures) that provide the texture and other visually recognizable attributes associated with the footwear design.

[0082] Next, at step 408, the system may receive design inputs that adjust one or more design attributes for one or more knit structures assigned to the footwear design during step 406. In some embodiments, during step 408, color values ​​and heather patterns may be retrieved from a color library and a heather library, respectively. The color values ​​and heather may be assigned to one or more knit structures assigned to the footwear design during step 406. At step 410, the system may determine whether the design inputs received during step 408 are acceptable. During step 410, the system may retrieve various data associated with the footwear design and compare this data to information collected and / or stored by the system (e.g., structural evaluation module 105, bill of materials module 106, cost estimation module 107, time estimation module 108, etc.). For example, the system may determine whether various knit materials selected for the footwear design are currently in stock. In this example, the system may compare data indicative of the knit structures and materials selected for the footwear design to data stored in bill of materials module 106 to make the determination. As another example, the system may determine whether a design change and associated knit structure selected for a footwear design conforms with construction rules (and / or characteristics) assigned to the footwear design. In this example, the system may compare data indicative of the knit structure for the footwear design to data stored in the structural evaluation module 105 to make the determination. As yet another example, the system may determine whether a design change to a footwear design (e.g., a change in footwear size) conforms with grading rules (and / or characteristics) assigned to the footwear design. In this example, the system may compare data indicative of a modification to the footwear design (and / or the knit structure therein) to data stored in the grading module 104 to make such a determination.

[0083] In some aspects of the disclosure, during step 410, the system may use similar criteria when comparing the footwear design data to data stored by the system (e.g., structural evaluation module 105, bill of materials module 106, cost estimation module 107, time estimation module 108, etc.). If the footwear design data does not sufficiently meet the requirements and / or characteristics associated with the data stored by the system, the system may determine that the design changes may not be acceptable (e.g., the footwear article cannot be manufactured based on the current footwear design).

[0084] If the system determines that the design changes analyzed during step 410 are unacceptable, the method may proceed to step 412, where the system may instruct the user to correct or modify the unacceptable design changes. In some embodiments, the system may identify the particular design changes that are unacceptable and provide the user with additional information regarding the design changes. In other embodiments, data stored by the system (e.g., data stored in the structural evaluation module 105, the bill of materials module 106, the cost estimation module 107, the time estimation module 108, etc.) may be further processed by the system to recommend and / or suggest one or more design changes to the footwear design such that the footwear design will then be accepted by the system. The method then returns to step 408, where the system may receive design input to adjust one or more design attributes for one or more knit structures assigned to the footwear design.

[0085] If the system determines that the design changes analyzed during step 410 are acceptable, the method may proceed to step 414, where the system may apply the design inputs received during step 408 to the footwear design.

[0086] Finally, in step 416, the system may render an image of the footwear design. The rendered image may include simulated knit texture and color according to various design characteristics and attributes of the footwear design. In some embodiments, step 416 may be performed by an image editing application, and the process may be controlled by a script. In other embodiments, steps 414 and 416 may be combined or performed simultaneously. The image rendering step may utilize a variety of existing and conventional image processing tools.

[0087] While the disclosure has been described with respect to specific examples, including presently preferred modes of carrying out aspects of the disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and permutations of the above-described systems and techniques may be made without departing from the disclosure. For example, the systems, methods, and / or interfaces may include more, fewer, and / or different functions than those described above, and various features of the systems, methods, and / or interfaces may be operated or interacted in various ways (e.g., using different types of interface elements) different from those described above. Furthermore, various process steps may be changed, reordered, omitted, and / or include additional steps or features without departing from the disclosure. Various changes and modifications to the systems, methods, and user interfaces may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method comprising: obtaining, by a first computing device, a data file including data related to a knitted footwear design; determining, by the first computing device, a plurality of zones of the knitted footwear design; acquiring, by the first computing device, input data that assigns one or more knit structures to one or more zones of the knitted footwear design; based on determining that an assignment of the one or more knitted structures to the one or more zones of the knitted footwear design does not satisfy a structural integrity characteristic associated with the knitted footwear design, recommending one or more modifications to the assignment of the one or more knitted structures such that the knitted footwear design complies with the structural integrity characteristic; generating a rendering of the knitted footwear design based on the input data; providing, by the first computing device, to one or more other computing devices, manufacturing instructions generated based on at least the knitted footwear design; wherein the one or more other computing devices control one or more knitting machines to produce the knitted footwear article based on the manufacturing instructions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data file includes at least one of visual attributes or physical attributes associated with the knitted footwear design.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising verifying, by the first computing device, the assignment of the one or more knit structures based on the physical attributes associated with the knitted footwear design.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a number of design options available for the knitted footwear design based on the physical attributes associated with the knitted footwear design.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data file includes a plurality of structural integrity properties associated with the knitted footwear design.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising verifying, by the first computing device, the assignment of the one or more knitted structures based on one or more of the plurality of structural integrity characteristics associated with the knitted footwear design.

7. Verifying the assignment of the one or more knit structures includes: determining a zone of the knitted footwear design associated with the allocation of the one or more knitted structures; and 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: comparing, by the first computing device, knit structure information for the determined zone of the knitted footwear design to at least a first structural integrity characteristic associated with the knitted footwear design.

8. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by the first computing device, one or more design characteristics associated with the knitted footwear design, at least in part, from the data file, the one or more design characteristics including at least one of grading information, last information, or color information.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning design attributes of a first knit structure of the one or more knit structures to corresponding zones of the knitted footwear design.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, A computer device includes: obtaining a data file containing data relating to a knitted footwear design; determining a plurality of zones of said knitted footwear design; obtaining input data for assigning one or more knitted structures to one or more zones of the knitted footwear design; recommending one or more modifications to the assignment of the one or more knit structures to the one or more zones of the knitted footwear design such that the knitted footwear design complies with the structural integrity characteristic based on determining that the assignment of the one or more knit structures to the one or more zones of the knitted footwear design does not satisfy a structural integrity characteristic associated with the knitted footwear design; generating a rendering of the knitted footwear design based on the input data; causing one or more other computing devices to provide manufacturing instructions generated based on at least the knitted footwear design; The one or more other computing devices control one or more knitting machines to manufacture the knitted footwear article based on the manufacturing instructions.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the data file includes at least one of visual attributes or physical attributes associated with the knitted footwear design.

12. The instructions, when executed, further cause the computer device to: The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising: determining a number of design options available for the knitted footwear design based on the physical attributes associated with the knitted footwear design.

13. The instructions, when executed, further cause the computer device to: The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , causing a design attribute of a first knit structure of the one or more knit structures to be assigned to a corresponding zone of the knitted footwear design.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the data file includes a plurality of structural integrity characteristics associated with the knitted footwear design.

15. The instructions, when executed, further cause the computer device to: The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising: a step of: validating the assignment of the one or more knitted structures based on one or more of the plurality of structural integrity characteristics associated with the knitted footwear design.

16. The instructions, when executed, further cause the computer device to: determining a zone of the knitted footwear design associated with the allocation of the one or more knitted structures; and and comparing knit structure information for the determined zone of the knitted footwear design to at least a first structural integrity characteristic associated with the knitted footwear design.

17. one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed, causing the apparatus to: obtaining a data file containing data relating to a knitted footwear design; determining a plurality of zones of said knitted footwear design; obtaining input data for assigning one or more knitted structures to one or more zones of the knitted footwear design; recommending one or more modifications to the assignment of the one or more knit structures to the one or more zones of the knitted footwear design such that the knitted footwear design complies with the structural integrity characteristic based on determining that the assignment of the one or more knit structures to the one or more zones of the knitted footwear design does not satisfy a structural integrity characteristic associated with the knitted footwear design; generating, via an interface, a rendering of the knitted footwear design based on the input data; causing one or more other computing devices to provide manufacturing instructions generated based on at least the knitted footwear design; The one or more other computing devices control one or more knitting machines to produce the knitted footwear article based on the production instructions.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a portion of the interface includes a graphical representation of a knitting machine.

19. The instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to: The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising: determining a number of design options available for the knitted footwear design based on physical attributes associated with the knitted footwear design.

20. The instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to: The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising: causing a design attribute of a first knit structure of the one or more knit structures to be assigned to a corresponding zone of the knitted footwear design.

Images