Garment manufacturing system and method

Abstract

The system and method for manufacturing a garment includes steps S1300, S1302 of receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the garment design including data representing a first fabric construction unit at a first location in the garment design and data representing a second fabric construction unit at a second location in the garment design; (b) step S1304 of generating a fabric production machine instruction dataset based on the garment design input data; and (c) step S1305 of generating a fabric production machine instruction dataset for the first fabric construction unit at the first location in the first garment and the second fabric construction unit at the second location in the first garment. (d) a step S1308 of creating modified garment design input data for the garment design based on the first garment created in the creating step; (e) a step S1310 of generating a modified fabric making machine instruction data set based on the modified garment design input data; and (f) a step S1312 of creating a second garment using the fabric making machine and the modified garment design input data including the changes to the garment design.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Related application data This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 677,927, filed May 30, 2018, which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety for all non-limiting purposes.

[0002] Aspects of the present invention are directed to (a) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 015,698, filed June 23, 2014; (b) U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 747,517, filed June 23, 2015; (c) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 059,357, filed February 17, 2005 (now U.S. Patent No. 9,332,792); (d) U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 091,847, filed April 6, 2016; and (e) U.S. Patent Application No. No. 15 / 055,129 (now U.S. Patent No. 9,867,425), (f) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 055,113, filed February 26, 2016, (g) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 055,086, filed February 26, 2016, (h) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 055,016, filed February 26, 2016, and / or (i) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 839,032, filed December 12, 2017. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 015,698, U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 747,517, U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 059,357, U.S. Patent No. 9,332,792, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 091,847, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 055,129, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 055,113, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 055,086, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 055,016, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 839,032, and U.S. Patent No. 9,867,425 are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all non-limiting purposes.

[0003] Technical Field The disclosed technology relates to systems, methods, and tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions used to design and manufacture footwear, apparel, and / or other products (footwear uppers, apparel, etc.) that include, for example, knitted, braided, wound, woven, nonwoven, embroidered, and / or fused filament components. [Background technology]

[0004] Terminology / General Information First, some general terms and information are provided to aid in understanding the various portions of this specification and the invention(s) described herein.

[0005] As used herein, the term "garment" means a single piece of clothing or any portion thereof that is worn and may be joined with one or more other component pieces to form a finished garment. Thus, "garment" includes a piece of material that is incorporated into a finished garment or clothing product.

[0006] As used herein, the term "textile structural unit" refers to a one-, two-, or three-dimensional textile structural component formed within a textile fabric that is distinct from the one-, two-, or three-dimensional structure that forms the largest proportion of the structure of the textile fabric and / or distinct from the one-, two-, or three-dimensional structure of the textile fabric within its immediately adjacent surrounding areas. A "textile structural unit" may be intentionally included in a discrete region of a textile component to provide desired characteristics to the discrete region of the textile component. Textile components and textile structural units may be formed by any desired textile forming process, such as knitting, braiding, winding, embroidering, weaving, nonwoven, fused filament, etc. When applied to a specific textile forming process, the term "structural unit" may be modified herein to include the type of process, such as, for example, a "knitted structural unit," a "braided structural unit," a "wound structural unit," an "embroidered structural unit," a "woven structural unit," a "nonwoven structural unit," or a "fused filament structural unit."

[0007] As used herein, the term "knitted structural unit" means a combination of two or more stitches and / or needle actions in the course and / or wale directions of the structure of a knitted component to provide a one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional structure within the knitted component (different from the one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional structure that forms the largest proportion of the structure of the knitted component and / or different from the one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional structure in the immediately adjacent surrounding area).

[0008] Examples of fabric "structural units" include: structure-forming apertures (e.g., braided apertures, braided apertures, apertures formed by a winding process, apertures formed by a braiding process, apertures formed by a weaving process, apertures formed in nonwoven fabrics, apertures formed by a fused filament manufacturing process, etc.); a structure-forming texture on at least one surface (e.g., knitted texture elements, braided texture elements, texture elements formed by a winding process, texture elements formed by embroidery, texture elements formed by weaving, texture elements formed on nonwoven fabrics, texture elements formed by fused filament manufacturing, etc.); pleats; rib structure; an area of ​​increased material thickness (e.g., compared to the thickness of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage thickness of a continuous woven structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​reduced material thickness (e.g., compared to the thickness of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage thickness of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​increased thermal conductivity (e.g., compared to the thermal conductivity of the surrounding area and / or the maximum percentage thermal conductivity of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knitted structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​reduced thermal conductivity (e.g., compared to the thermal conductivity of the surrounding area and / or the maximum percentage thermal conductivity of the continuous woven structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​increased air permeability (e.g., compared to the air permeability of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage air permeability of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​reduced air permeability (e.g., compared to the air permeability of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage air permeability of the continuous woven structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​increased moisture wicking capacity (e.g., compared to the moisture wicking capacity of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage moisture wicking capacity of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​reduced moisture wicking capacity (e.g., compared to the moisture wicking capacity of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage moisture wicking capacity of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​increased extensibility (e.g., compared to the extensibility of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage extensibility of a continuous textile structure (e.g., a continuous knitted structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​reduced extensibility (e.g., compared to the extensibility of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage extensibility of the continuous textile structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​increased durability (e.g., compared to the durability of surrounding areas and / or the durability of a maximum percentage of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); Areas of reduced durability (e.g., compared to the durability of surrounding areas and / or the durability of the greatest proportion of the continuous woven structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.)); an area of ​​increased material density (e.g., compared to the material density of surrounding areas and / or the material density of a maximum percentage of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); an area of ​​reduced material density (e.g., compared to the material density of surrounding areas and / or the material density of a maximum percentage of a continuous woven structure (e.g., a continuous knit structure, a continuous braided structure, a continuous wound structure, a continuous embroidered structure, a continuous woven structure, a continuous nonwoven structure, a continuous fused filament structure, etc.); Areas of increased hydrophobicity (e.g., compared to the hydrophobicity of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage hydrophobicity of a continuous textile structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.); Areas of reduced hydrophobicity (e.g., compared to the hydrophobicity of surrounding areas and / or the maximum percentage hydrophobicity of the continuous woven structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.); and Including, but not limited to, areas having a surface texture that differs from the surface texture of the surrounding areas and / or the surface texture of the greatest proportion of the continuous woven structure (e.g., continuous knitted structure, continuous braided structure, continuous wound structure, continuous embroidered structure, continuous woven structure, continuous nonwoven structure, continuous fused filament structure, etc.). As discussed above, various "regions" having different properties or characteristics may be formed, at least in part, by varying materials within a woven structure (e.g., a knitted or other structure) in various regions and / or by using various fabrication techniques (e.g., combinations of stitches and / or needle actions during the knitting process when knitting various regions). In knitting embodiments, the combinations of stitches and / or needle actions may include using one or more of the following across the course and / or wale directions of the knitted component structure: (a) knit stitches or knit actions; (b) hold stitches or hold actions; (c) tuck stitches or tuck actions; (d) float stitches or miss stitches or float actions or miss actions; and / or (e) transfer stitches or transfer actions. As used herein, the term "continuous knit structure" refers to a single knitted component knitted in a knitting process to form a "knitted structural unit." As used herein, the term "continuous woven structure" refers to a single woven component formed into a "woven structure unit" by a single process (e.g., braiding, winding, embroidering, weaving, non-fabricating, fused filament manufacturing, etc.). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] The disclosed technology is shown by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements and in which: [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a system for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] 1 depicts an exemplary interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] 1 depicts a rendering of a footwear design according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2C] 1 depicts an exemplary interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2D] 1 depicts a rendering of a footwear design according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2E] 1 depicts a rendering of a footwear design according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2F] 1 illustrates a portion of an exemplary interface for designing footwear, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 depicts an exemplary interface for designing footwear in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 depicts a method of designing footwear according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 1 depicts useful steps and workflows according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] 1 depicts useful steps and workflows according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5C] 1 depicts an example of body map data in the form of a useful thermal scan, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A] 1 illustrates an example of a knitted structural unit that may be formed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] 1 illustrates an example of a knitted structural unit that may be formed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an example data structure representation of garment design input data and / or modified garment design input data that may be used in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 8B] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 9A] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 9B]Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 9C] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 10A] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 10B] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 10C] Various examples of design changes that can be input, as well as applications and uses of systems and methods according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, are provided. [Figure 11A] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, various examples of systems and methods for receiving design changes are provided. [Figure 11B] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, various examples of systems and methods for receiving design changes are provided. [Figure 12A] Various examples of braided structural units and exemplary attributes thereof are provided, for example, for inclusion in a structural unit library for braided constructions. [Figure 12B] Various examples of braided structural units and exemplary attributes thereof are provided, for example, for inclusion in a structural unit library for braided constructions. [Figure 12C] Various examples of braided structural units and exemplary attributes thereof are provided, for example, for inclusion in a structural unit library for braided constructions. [Figure 12D] Various examples of braided structural units and exemplary attributes thereof are provided, for example, for inclusion in a structural unit library for braided constructions. [Figure 12E]Various examples of braided structural units and exemplary attributes thereof are provided, for example, for inclusion in a structural unit library for braided constructions. [Figure 13A] 1 depicts useful steps and workflow of a braiding example in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 13B] 1 depicts useful steps and workflow of a braiding example in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 1 illustrates an example data structure representation of garment design input data and / or modified garment design input data that may be used for braiding examples, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 depicts useful steps and a workflow of a winding embodiment in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 16A] 10 represents additional potential features of the winder and process. [Figure 16B] 10 represents additional potential features of the winder and process. [Figure 17] 1 illustrates an example data structure representation of garment design input data and / or modified garment design input data that may be used in a winding embodiment, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 18A] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18B] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18C] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18D] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18E] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18F]1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18G] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18H] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18I] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. [Figure 18J] 1 illustrates various features according to some embodiments of the present technology and provides information related to fusion filament processes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As noted above, some aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to systems, methods, and tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions for designing consumer goods, such as items of footwear and apparel.

[0011] A user of systems and methods according to aspects of the present disclosure may control, change, or customize any desired type of footwear design data, such as the color of portions of an article of footwear (e.g., various upper portions or elements). If desired, systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure may further enable a user to select from a variety of materials or other properties for various portions of the article of footwear, such as different upper material(s); upper thickness(es); upper stiffness characteristics; arch support characteristics; impact attenuation characteristics; size, orientation, and / or location of openings or windows in the upper; patterns of openings provided in the upper; laser cut designs and / or properties; laser etch designs and / or properties.

[0012] Although aspects of the present disclosure are described above in conjunction with the design of articles of footwear, they may also be used in the design of other consumer goods, such as apparel.

[0013] 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 for modifying or otherwise manipulating various design data aspects of the footwear, as described herein. The user may, for example, select any desired features of a knitted construction unit or other woven construction unit of the types described above. The same or similar features and / or tools may be provided in systems and methods for designing apparel and other consumer goods.

[0014] Users may use computing devices to access design applications and / or websites. The computing devices establish communication channels within a network and communicate with a messaging server system (comprising one or more server computers) that provides interactive design capabilities used to modify product designs. As disclosed in further detail below, any desired communication link and communication protocol may be used to provide and control data exchange between the computing devices and the system. Users may use computing devices to connect to the online design system via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the like. Users may connect their computing devices to the system via any communication channel, such as website portals and applications from various internal and / or external sites that link to manufacturer portals.

[0015] As described in further detail below, any desired type of computing device may be used without departing from this disclosure, including any computing device capable of establishing network and / or peer-to-peer connections and providing the necessary display, user interface, and input capabilities. 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, but are not limited to, desktop computers, personal computers, laptop computers, palmtop computers, handheld computers, mobile phones, any other mobile devices or smartphones, personal digital assistants, computer workstations, televisions, etc.

[0016] A computing device that can be used in systems and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure can include one or more input devices (e.g., including one or more microprocessors) and a data processing system. Examples of input devices that can be included with a rollerball computing device include, but are not limited to, traditional 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. The computing device can also have "touch screen" functionality, allowing a user to input data into the computing device by physically touching the display screen with a selection device such as a finger or a stylus. Additionally, any desired type of display device can be provided for use with the computing device of the systems and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure (e.g., a display device integrated with the computing device itself, or a display device separate from but in communication with the computing device (e.g., a projector display, a separate monitor display), etc.).

[0017] 1 depicts a system for designing and manufacturing a footwear upper. A computing device, such as design computer 102, may be programmed with software modules that perform various functions when executed by at least one processor. The software includes computer-executable instructions that may be stored on at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as solid-state or magnetic memory.

[0018] The design computer 102 may be connected to a network (not shown) in any desired manner, including any conventional wired or wireless connection and any network connection protocol, known and used in the art, without departing from aspects of the present disclosure. Systems and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a user interface display on the user's computing device. This interface allows the user to view subject matter in the design and to provide their own input into the design. The user interfaces on the various devices are provided and controlled by the user's computing device and / or a server system, and data for generating, maintaining, and receiving input via the user interfaces is generated and provided via computer-readable media included as part of and / or associated with the computing device and / or server system. Examples of such computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, both computer-readable memory internal to the computer (e.g., a hard drive) and computer-readable memory separate from the computer (e.g., a disk, solid-state or flash memory device, data available via a network connection, etc.), including any type of computer-readable media conventionally known and used in the computer industry.

[0019] Color library 111 may include 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., knitting yarns) supplied or provided to the footwear upper manufacturer. As another example, heather library 110 may be connected to design computer 102 via the Internet. The heather library may include various heather patterns that may be created by one or more knitting machines (or construction libraries having woven construction units for other woven fabric production machines, such as braiding machines, winding machines, embroidery machines, weaving machines, nonwoven fabric production machines, fused filament fabrication machines, etc.) provided to the footwear upper manufacturer. Last library 112 may store lasts of various shapes and forms. The last library may also store data files corresponding to base footwear designs. Grading library 113 may include a collection of previously graded uppers. This collection may identify footwear features such as structural locations and other attributes, along with modifications made to grade the base design for use with a range of shoe sizes.

[0020] As further detailed in FIG. 2A , a design website, interface, and / or application such as those described herein may display, for example, in a portion of the interface display, various patterns or models available for custom design. These various different product (footwear) models may include templates or “base” models from which a user can select as part of the design process. Such “base” models or templates may be added to or modified based on user selections during the design process.

[0021] Some of the components shown in FIG. 1 may communicate data with design computer 102 during a design session. For example, UI 115 may establish a communication channel with design computer 102 to provide a user interface for customizing or modifying a footwear design. As another example, construction rules component 120 may provide design computer 102 with one or more construction rules associated with the physical and / or structural integrity required for the manufacture of a footwear upper and data related to the corresponding base footwear design. As described in further detail, these construction rules may impose certain limitations on a 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 during manufacture and for intended use by a 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.).

[0022] Design computer 102 may store various modules, including design module 103 for processing various design changes made to the footwear design via user interface 115. Design module 103 may also render an image of the footwear design according to the processed design changes. Design computer 102 may include a grading module 104 for processing and determining changes that may be applied to the footwear design based on a grading change (e.g., an increase or decrease in footwear size). For example, grading module 104 may extract information associated with a base footwear design and compare that information with data stored in grading library 113 to render a new base design for a different footwear grading. In some embodiments, grading module 104 may recommend one or more design changes to the base footwear design in view of the processed grading information.

[0023] Design computer 102 may include a structural evaluation module 105 that processes data to determine whether design changes made to a footwear design via user interface 115 are acceptable. For example, structural evaluation module 105 may extract information associated with a base footwear design and compare that information with data from construction rules component 120 to determine whether the design changes conform to predetermined construction rules and / or physical limitations associated with the base footwear design and / or 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 predetermined structural integrity characteristics associated with each of the base footwear designs offered for selection by a user.

[0024] 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 extract information associated with the base footwear design and compare that information with data related to the current supply or availability of materials 130 to determine whether requested design changes are acceptable.

[0025] Design computer 102 may also 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 extract 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 predetermined cost threshold. Cost estimation module 107 may recommend one or more design changes to the footwear design to reduce the estimated cost below the predetermined cost threshold. Similar features may be used to recommend one or more design changes to the footwear design to increase the "sustainability" of the design (e.g., suggesting the use of renewable materials with similar properties to the selected material, suggesting ways to reduce material consumption while achieving similar properties, etc.).

[0026] Design computer 102 may also include a time estimation module 108 that processes data regarding the time required to manufacture upper 140 based on the footwear design. Design computer 102 may extract information associated with the footwear design and compare that information with data collected by and / or stored in time estimation module 108 to calculate the time required to manufacture footwear upper 140 based on the footwear design and determine whether the time exceeds any predetermined time threshold. Time estimation module 108 may recommend one or more design changes to the footwear design to reduce the estimated manufacturing time below the predetermined time threshold. In some aspects of the present disclosure, an interface or sub-interface may be displayed to the user during a design session that depicts the time required to manufacture the footwear upper in light of the current footwear design. As the user modifies the footwear design, this interface (or sub-interface) may be updated to reflect the updated time required to manufacture the footwear upper.

[0027] The design computer 102 may also include various interface units and drives for reading and writing data or files. Exemplary interface units and drives include a keyboard, pointing device, microphone, pen device, touch screen, or other input device.

[0028] 1 may be connected to one another via a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). For example, color library 111 may be connected to design computer 102 via the Internet. In another embodiment, design computer 102 may transmit knitting instructions to knitting machine 135 via the Internet in the form of encrypted files. The system shown in FIG. 1 may include conventional network components (not shown), such as switches, wireless access points, routers, etc., for connecting the illustrated components.

[0029] Various features of a user interface generated by a computing device to accept user input and provide design information to a user are described in 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, and arrangements of interface components, interface component orientations, interface component combinations, and the like, of systems, methods, and user interfaces according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a user interface provided on a computing device that enables a user to design an article of footwear (or other consumer product). The user interface may include elements and functions 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 further detailed below.

[0031] In some more specific examples, aspects of the present 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 article; (b) one or more selector elements (e.g., a pointer or cursor) that allow a first user to select a portion of the footwear article; (c) indicators that indicate the portion(s) of the footwear article selected via the respective selector elements (e.g., text, icon, picture, animation); and (d) a first element for producing 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 features 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 of the footwear article (e.g., a knit material); one or more orientation elements that allow a user to change the orientation of the footwear article rendered on the first display; one-way, two-way, or multi-way user communication elements or features (text input and display panel(s), instant messaging capabilities, audio and / or video communication capabilities, etc.). The user interface may further include an input portion that allows a first user to input data used to set up a collaborative footwear design session with a second user (or another user). Any one or more of these features may be provided in systems and / or methods for designing apparel and / or other products.

[0032] With this general background and information in mind, more detailed information regarding particular embodiments of the systems, methods, computer-readable media, and user interfaces of the present disclosure is provided below, which should be understood as relating to various specific embodiments of the present disclosure and their features and functionality, and which should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] 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 depicts an example interface for modifying a footwear design according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As described in further 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 specific 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.

[0034] Initiation of a design session may launch a customization web page or website, or a customization application program or software, to create, for example, exemplary user interface screen 200, such as the screen shown in Figure 2A. Initiation of a design session may also result in the generation of a customization session identification number (e.g., a unique "session ID") for the session (e.g., by a server or other computing device that may control the session and the transfer of data associated with the session).

[0035] In some aspects of the present 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 placement, orientation, or display without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] 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 a footwear design. Such a layout is intended to reduce the cognitive burden on the user when relating the relationship between the availability and / or supply of material 130, the physical limitations of knitting machine 135 used to manufacture footwear upper 140, and limitations on design options in order to maintain the structural integrity of upper 140.

[0037] The software generating the user interface may reside on a computing device or server system or on computer-readable media available to the computing device or server system. Alternatively, if desired, the software, or at least some 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 maintain the computing devices and / or networks, or may be operated, controlled, and maintained by a separate entity separate from any or all of these entities. In some more specific examples, the server system (and the user interface software) may be operated and maintained by one or more entities (e.g., a manufacturer, a vendor selected by the manufacturer or retailer, etc.) that bring products to market via the design systems and methods described below.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, and as described in further detail below, user interface 200 may include sections in which the product being customized appears (e.g., sections 201, 202), a "color palette" section in which colors for various components are selected (e.g., section 210), one or more controllers for changing the appearance or appearance of the product in section 201 (e.g., rotation controls, zoom in, zoom out, changing the displayed view, etc.), an "undo" control (for erasing the most recent action or design change), a "redo" control (for redoing a previously erased action 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 present disclosure, the product design information panel (not shown) may provide information regarding the various components of the footwear article being designed, such as color information, sizing information, material information, etc.

[0039] A user interface, such as user interface 115 or user interface 200, may display various lasts available for use in creating a base footwear design in a portion of an interface display, such as display 201. These various lasts may be retrieved from a last library, such as library 112. Once a user selects a last, the user interface may provide the user with the option of creating a "base" footwear design that corresponds to the selected last (e.g., of the same or similar size, shape, configuration, 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 illustrate the "styling" of the footwear design. It will be appreciated that the user interface may provide the user with various tools for creating and / or modifying various features of the base footwear design. The user may store the created and / or modified base footwear design in memory.

[0040] If desired, the user may retrieve pre-defined base footwear designs from memory, which may be stored, for example, 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 selection by the user as a first step in the design process.

[0041] The base footwear design serves as a blueprint for a knitting machine, such as knitting machine 135, to manufacture the footwear upper. As discussed further below, each base footwear design may include data defining various structural and / or physical limitations of the corresponding footwear upper, such as upper 140, that may limit the user's design options. Thus, while a user may modify or edit a base footwear design during the design process, certain design options may be limited during the design process or must be accepted by design computer 102 before the design changes take effect. Such design limitations provide a user or designer with a "real world" perspective when making design choices that may affect the footwear upper manufacturing process.

[0042] The user interface provides a realistic basis for delineating limitations on certain design options due to various factors, such as the physical limitations of the knitting machine. For example, the user may be limited to the detail (e.g., point size of a digital paintbrush) that may be used when creating or modifying features of the base footwear design because the user interface may not allow the user to design features that are too small to knit on the knitting machine or that may be impractical given constraints during the manufacturing process (e.g., cost, time, etc.). In one embodiment, each stitch in the knit pattern cannot be displayed in less than one pixel. This "real-world" perspective provided by the user interface may create efficiencies, reduce the amount of work required during the footwear upper design and manufacturing process, speed up iterations of footwear designs created by the user during the design and manufacturing process, and enable more accurate representations of footwear designs created during the design and manufacturing process.

[0043] If desired, other features and functionality may be provided in the user interface without departing from this disclosure. The following features and functionality may be provided in some fashion 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" the "default" design (e.g., return to the blank product from which the customization process began for this product or for some other intermediate default design (optionally selected and stored by the user)), and the ability to end or abort the session.

[0044] Another feature that may be included in the computer interface is a "previous action" 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), as well as more detail about an individually displayed step (e.g., more specifics about color, position, size, material, or orientation selection, etc.). The "previous action" tool may allow the user to select any desired individual step for further action, such as an "undo" action (to undo that step), a "view" change action (e.g., to cause the interface to highlight the changes made at that step in the user's view), or a reselect action (e.g., to cause the interface to reselect the same part to perform further action).

[0045] Another potential feature that may be included in systems, methods, and computer interfaces according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a “cost variance” icon (although other interface elements may be used to activate this function). User selection of this interface element may provide the user with information and opportunities to modify various features of the designed shoe to increase or decrease the cost of the designed shoe (with little or no performance change, although optionally any expected impact on performance may be displayed for the user's consideration). For example, interaction with this interface element may provide costs associated with design modifications made to a base footwear design. As a more specific example, changing the material and / or material placement for some portion(s) of the upper may increase the comfort of the shoe, increase stability, and / or otherwise affect its performance characteristics. As another example, the interface may advise the user of costs 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.). Cost changes 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 differences associated with those options, or may make this type of cost variance information available to the user in some other manner. Similar features may be used to recommend one or more design changes to increase the "sustainability" of a design (e.g., suggesting the use of renewable materials with similar properties to the selected material, suggesting ways to reduce material consumption while achieving similar properties, etc.).

[0046] Referring again to FIG. 2A , in this illustrated embodiment, user interface 200 includes display portion 201, in which a 3D view of the footwear design appears; display portion 202, in which a “lay-flat” 2D view of the footwear design appears; portion 219, which represents one or more knit structures for the footwear design (e.g., knit structures 221-223); drop-down list 224 for selecting a knit structure; portion 225, which represents a “material swatch” that displays a texture image representing the knit structure based on one or more color values ​​selected for the material (e.g., yarn construction) that comprises the knit structure; grayscale 205, which indicates where various knit structures correspond to particular “zones” (or areas) on the mapped or rendered image of the base footwear design; and “color picker” or “color palette” portion 210, for selecting colors for various materials and / or knit structures that may comprise the footwear design.

[0047] The user interface may further include one or more drop-down lists 211 for selecting various color options (or color values) in the color palette, and a color vector 215 indicating which color options have been assigned to one or more knit structures for the footwear design. The color palette 210 may identify various colors of knit material selected by the user to be incorporated into the footwear design. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A , a first portion of the color palette 210 corresponding to menu 211 is green, thereby indicating that a green knit material will be incorporated into the footwear design. Similarly, each color in each portion of the color palette may represent a corresponding color of the knit material used in the design and manufacture of the footwear article (e.g., portion 212 indicates that light green has been selected; portion 213 indicates that red has been selected; portion 214 indicates that yellow has been selected, etc.).

[0048] Changes to various portions of a 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 some particular zone (or region) of the base footwear design. Once selected, the user can apply changes to the knit structure. For example, to change the color of a knit structure, a user may first move a pointer over a depiction of the desired component in the display (e.g., drop-down list 211) and "click" a mouse button (or other input device) to "select" that component. This selection action may cause the interface to display a list of available color options (e.g., color values) that can be applied to the knit structure. Each color option in the list may also have a specific color name or color reference number. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the system may limit the number of available colors (and / or other design choices) that can be applied to a footwear design. Additionally or alternatively, this selection action may cause the interface to highlight the corresponding footwear component in some manner, such as enlarging it, painting it a different color, thickening the outer border of the footwear, etc.

[0049] When a color option is selected, the user may associate the color option with the knit structure by drawing a color vector (e.g., color vector 215) from a portion of the color palette (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 allowed by the base footwear design without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The user may be limited to a predetermined number of color options that may be associated with a particular knit structure based on rules provided by construction rules component 120 or other components within the system shown in FIG. 1. In some aspects of the present disclosure, a particular footwear design may be associated with particular construction rules based on the manufacturing process that will create the footwear article using the footwear design. For example, construction rules associated with a first footwear design template may be configured to permit the knit structure to include a predetermined number of colors.

[0050] Another exemplary 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 an article of footwear in its current design state. When one or more features of a shoe are designed or changed, this may result in a slight change in the cost of the shoe (e.g., if more expensive materials are used, if more customization is required, if additional manufacturing steps or different manufacturing techniques are required, etc.). The interface may maintain a price display to allow the user to be aware of which design changes resulted in a price change, allowing the user to have greater control over the final price of the product.

[0051] As noted above, the various color options provided to the user in color palette 210 may correspond to the various materials 130 (e.g., yarn constructions) available for manufacturing footwear upper 140. As such, the user may be limited in the number and / or type of color options that may be used in a footwear design and / or associated with a particular knit structure based on data provided by bill of materials module 106, other components shown in FIG. 1, or another computing device.

[0052] A user's design choices may also be limited based on the estimated time and / or cost to manufacture the upper according to the corresponding footwear design. After associating one or more color options with the knit structure, swatch 225 may display a texture image of the knit structure showing 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 (not shown) on interface 200. 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.

[0053] As another example, a user may have the option to change the heather pattern associated with a knit structure. The user may have the option to select from one or more pre-defined heathers stored in heather library 110 or may design a new heather pattern for the knit structure. To change the heather pattern of a knit structure, the user may move a pointer over a depiction of the desired part in the representation of the structure and "click" a mouse button (or other input device) to "select" the desired heather option. This selection action may cause the interface to display a list of available pre-defined heather options that can be applied to the corresponding knit structure. The user's ability to create or modify heather patterns may be limited by the structural and physical limitations of available knitting machines that may be utilized to manufacture the footwear (or other product).

[0054] As yet another example, a user may have the option to add or modify knit structures for a footwear design. A user may modify the "zone" of the footwear design associated with a particular knit structure by "selecting" the knit structure with a pointer. Once selected, a user may change the position of the knit structure relative to grayscale 205 by "dragging" the knit structure to a desired location along grayscale 205. As discussed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2B-2D , each color reference along 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 grayscale 205, displays 201 and 202 of interface 200 may reflect the change in the knit structure and corresponding design attributes.

[0055] Portions of the user interface depicting knit structures (e.g., knit structures 220-223) may be positioned along a grayscale, such as grayscale 205 of user interface 200. It will be appreciated that the grayscale may provide color references that correspond to various zones on an image of a base footwear design. For example, as shown in portions 201 and 202, user interface 200 may depict a rendered base footwear design image that includes a grayscale mapping based on the position of knit structures 220-223 along grayscale 205. As illustrated by elements 230-233, one or more color references on the grayscale (e.g., "relatively dark gray," "dark gray," "gray," "light gray," etc.) may correspond to particular zones on the rendered base footwear design image (or portions thereof), and, as described in further detail below, knit structures may be associated with one or more particular zones on the base footwear design. Each knit structure assigned to a zone(s) of the base footwear design may have its own pattern, heathering, coloring, and other characteristics.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, by positioning a knit structure adjacent to (or aligned with) a particular color reference on grayscale 205, a zone (or region) of the base footwear design associated with the color reference may adopt the design characteristics (e.g., color, heather, etc.) of the knit structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A , the “darker gray” reference of grayscale 205 is located toward the left-most portion of the grayscale. Additionally, various zones of the footwear design may be illustrated in portions 201 and 202 of user interface 200.

[0057] For example, a relatively dark gray reference in 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 represented by a relatively dark gray portion of the footwear design, as depicted by element 209 in FIG. 2A . By positioning the first knit structure adjacent to (or aligned with) the relatively dark gray reference in grayscale 205, the first zone of the footwear design may inherit features, attributes, and / or properties of the first knit structure. Similarly, by positioning a second knit structure adjacent to (or aligned with) the relatively dark gray reference in grayscale 205, the first zone of the footwear design may inherit features, attributes, and / or properties of the second knit structure.

[0058] As another example, a darker gray reference in grayscale 205 may be associated with a knit structure and may further indicate (or correspond to) a second zone of the footwear design, as depicted by element 208 in Figure 2A. Additionally, a gray reference in grayscale 205 may be associated with a knit structure and may further indicate a third zone of the footwear design, as depicted by element 206; a lighter gray reference in grayscale 205 may be associated with a knit structure and may further indicate a fourth zone of the footwear design, as depicted by element 207.

[0059] 2B-2E represent additional exemplary views of 2D and 3D images of a base footwear design that may appear in user interface 200. FIG. 2B represents an exemplary rendering of an image showing a "lay-flat" 2D view of the base footwear design. This exemplary 2D view of the base footwear design (e.g., element 229) may be displayed on display 202 of user interface 200. It will be appreciated that the lay-flat 2D view provides a graphical representation of the knit material corresponding to the base footwear design. FIG. 2C depicts an exemplary interface screen (e.g., interface screen 239) displaying a 3D view of the base footwear design. This exemplary 3D view of the base footwear design may be displayed 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 the various zones of the footwear design.

[0060] As noted above, a base footwear design may be represented by various zones that may correspond to different knit structures for the footwear article to be produced. For example, the base footwear design depicted in FIG. 2C includes at least four different zones, each having specific design features and / or characteristics, and are represented by different colors in the user interface to distinguish the various zones. In the example shown in FIG. 2C, a first zone (corresponding to element 233) may be represented in red; a second zone (corresponding to element 232) may be represented in yellow, a third zone (corresponding to element 231) may be represented in teal, and a fourth zone (corresponding to element 230) may be represented in purple. FIG. 2C further depicts a fifth zone within the base footwear design (corresponding to element 235), which may be represented in blue.

[0061] 2A , knit structure 223 is positioned adjacent to (or aligned with) a relatively dark gray reference on grayscale 205. In this manner, knit structure 223 and its corresponding design attributes (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 the user's design, such as changes to the knit structure of the footwear design.

[0062] 2D depicts a rendered base footwear design image that may be displayed in a portion of user interface 200. The rendered footwear design image includes a mapping of the knit structure (e.g., knit structures 220-223) displayed in user interface 200. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the rendering of the footwear design may be dynamically updated to reflect a user's design changes, such as changes to the knit structure for the footwear design.

[0063] 2C , the first zone of the base footwear design, depicted by element 233, may be associated with a particular knit structure and rendered into a 3D graphical representation of the article of footwear, as shown in FIG. 2D . When a knit structure, such as knit structure 223, is positioned adjacent to a particular color reference on grayscale 205 corresponding to the first zone, the knit structure and its corresponding design features 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 knit materials of various colors and shades, such as yellow and green knit materials, 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 associated with a particular knit structure having the first heather pattern and various shades of yellow and green knit materials over knit structure 223. As discussed above and in more detail below, the properties and / or attributes of a knit structure, such as knit structure 223, may be adjusted or modified in various ways by a user. Additionally or alternatively, a user may associate a second knit structure with a first zone of the footwear design. Furthermore, the user interface may visually modify a graphical representation of the design, such as the rendering depicted in FIG. 2D , to reflect the changes and / or modifications made to one or more knit structures.

[0064] Referring to the above examples, as shown in FIG. 2C , element 232 depicts a second zone of the footwear design and may be represented by the color yellow on the rendered base footwear design image. Referring 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). As such, 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, referring to FIGS. 2C and 2D , the second zone of the base footwear design may be associated with knit structure 222 in consideration of the placement of the knit structure 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 knit materials of various shades or colors (e.g., yellow, blue, and green knit materials), as shown in FIG. 2D . As depicted by element 232, those portions of the footwear design corresponding to the second zone in FIG. 2C may be rendered to include characteristics associated with knit structure 222 (e.g., a second heather pattern and knit material in various shades of yellow, blue, and green).

[0065] Referring to the above examples, as shown in FIG. 2C , element 231 depicts a third zone of the footwear design and may be represented by a teal color on the rendered base footwear design image. Referring again to FIG. 2A , knit structure 221 may be positioned adjacent to a particular color reference on grayscale 205 that corresponds to the third zone of the footwear design (e.g., element 231). As such, 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, referring to FIGS. 2C and 2D , the third zone of the base footwear design may be associated with knit structure 221 given the placement of the knit structure 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 various shades of knit material (e.g., a green knit material), 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).

[0066] Finally, as shown in FIG. 2C , element 230 depicts a fourth zone of the footwear design, which may be represented by the color purple on the rendered base footwear design image. Referring again to FIG. 2A , knit structure 220 may be positioned adjacent to a particular color reference on grayscale 205 that corresponds to the fourth zone of the footwear design (e.g., element 230). As such, knit structure 220 and its corresponding design features (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 light of the placement of the knit structure along grayscale 205 and the grayscale mapping of the zones for the footwear design, as described above with reference to portion 201. As such, knit structure 220 and its corresponding design features may be associated with the fourth zone of the base footwear design. In this particular example, knit structure 220 would correspond to a knit structure having a fourth heather pattern and including knit material in various shades of green and blue, as shown in Figure 2D. Those portions of the base footwear design corresponding to the fourth zone in Figure 2C, as depicted by element 230, may be rendered to include the properties associated with knit structure 220 (e.g., consisting of the fourth heather pattern and knit material in various shades of green and blue).

[0067] FIG. 2E depicts an example interface screen 259 showing 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 knit structures. In this illustrated example, the base footwear design includes at least seven zones, each represented by a knit structure having a different design attribute, as indicated by elements 250-257. A user may interact with interface screen 259 to modify design attributes of one or more knit structures (corresponding to elements 250-257) comprising the base footwear design. 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 location of the knit structure in portion 258 of interface screen 259. As a user repositions 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 represented in portion 257 of the interface screen may be updated to reflect the change in design attribute. The position of the knit structure need not be based on grayscale, but may be based on various other scales or positions within a portion of the interface screen that may indicate (or be associated with) one or more zones (or regions) of the footwear design.

[0068] FIG. 2F depicts a user interface 260 for selecting various color values ​​(e.g., color options) to assign to a knit structure. As described above, 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. Display portion 263 of the user interface presents a graphical rendering of an image representing the selected knit structure and its corresponding design attributes, such as color and heather. As a user modifies the first and second color values ​​of the knit structure, display portion 263 of the interface screen may dynamically update to reflect the changes (and / or received user input).

[0069] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user interface may provide a user with tools for generating color options comprising multiple colors. For example, referring to FIG. 2F, secondary colors 265 and 266 may be combined to generate a new color that can be assigned to the knit structure. Display portion 263 of the user interface then renders a new image representing the selected knit structure and its corresponding design attributes, such as the new color value.

[0070] If desired, other features and functionality may be provided in the interface without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The following features and functionality may be provided in some fashion 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 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., return to the blank product with which the customization process began for this product or for some other intermediate default design (optionally selected and stored by the user)), and the ability to end or abort the design session.

[0071] 3 depicts an example interface for modifying a footwear image according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As noted above, a user's design options may be constrained based on several factors, such as construction rules, manufacturing costs, manufacturing time, and material availability or supply.

[0072] User interface 300 includes a knitting machine image 335, a palette of color references 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 display portion 301 representing a rendering of a footwear design. User interface 300 may display animations representing various design options and selections made by a user during the design process. It will be appreciated that components of user interface 300 may include the same or similar features and functionality as corresponding components in interface 200. For example, color reference palette 310 may include the same or similar features and / or functionality as color palette 210. For example, although not shown in FIG. 3 , color reference 311 may include a drop-down menu to provide a list of available color values. Selecting or moving a pointer (e.g., a mouse pointer) over an interface component, such as color reference 311 or knit structure 320, may cause user interface 300 to display additional information associated with that component.

[0073] 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 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 (or assign) a color value to a particular knit structure. After the color vector is drawn or modified, user interface 300 may graphically represent the material (e.g., yarn from one or more spools associated with the selected color value) that is disposed on one or more portions of knitting machine image 335, as indicated by element 336.

[0074] As yet another example, display 301 may include the same or similar features and functionality as display 201 and display 202. Display 301 may depict a graphical representation (or rendering) of a footwear upper according to a user's footwear design.

[0075] 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 a 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 represented by element 310, each color or color criteria selected by the user may be graphically represented by one or more knitting spools (or some other material) in knitting machine image 335.

[0076] 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 changing the color of one or more knitting spools to correspond to the new color values. As another example, the number of colors available 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.

[0077] It will be appreciated that a user's design options may be limited based on constraints associated with footwear design, such as material availability, construction rules, and the physical limitations of the knitting machine. For example, limited supplies of certain materials used to manufacture the footwear upper may provide the user with a limited number of color options corresponding to the availability or supply of those materials (e.g., knitting yarns). In this manner, when a user selects color criteria 311, the user may be provided with a list of color options corresponding to currently in-stock materials. As another example, structural or physical limitations of the knitting machine may limit the user to the number of color options that can be assigned to a particular knit structure. For example, if a knitting machine, such as knitting machine 135, has a predetermined number of "feeders," the user may be limited to the number of color combinations or colors that can be assigned to the knit structure based on the number of feeders in the knitting machine.

[0078] FIG. 4 depicts a method for designing footwear according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The steps identified in FIG. 4 may be performed in a system such as the system shown in FIG. 1. First, in step 402, a data file corresponding to a base footwear design may be received by the system. This 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 404, the system may retrieve one or more design characteristics associated with the footwear design received during performance of step 402. The design characteristics for the footwear design may be retrieved from various sources, such as grading library 113, last library 112, 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.

[0079] Next, in step 406, the system may receive design input that assigns one or more knit structures to the footwear design. A user may identify, via a user interface (e.g., UI 115), one or more knit structures to be associated with (e.g., mapped to) particular zones (or regions) of the footwear design. The knit structures include design features that represent various materials (e.g., yarn constructions) that provide the texture and other visually recognizable attributes associated with the footwear design.

[0080] Next, in step 408, the system may receive design input that adjusts 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. In step 410, the system may determine whether the design input received during step 408 is 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., structure evaluation module 105, bill of materials module 106, cost estimation module 107, time estimation module 108, etc.). Inventory: For example, the system may determine whether various knit materials selected for the footwear design are currently available. In this example, the system may compare data indicative of the knit structure and materials selected for the footwear design with data stored in bill of materials module 106 to make the determination. As another example, the system may determine whether a design change selected for a footwear design and its associated knit structure conform to the 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 with data stored in construction 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 to the grading rules (and / or characteristics) assigned to the footwear design. In this example, the system may compare data indicative of modifications to the footwear design (and / or the knit structure therein) with data stored in grading module 104 to make such a determination.

[0081] In some aspects of the present disclosure, during step 410, the system may use a similarity metric when comparing the footwear design data to data stored by the system (e.g., structure 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).

[0082] If the system determines during step 410 that the analyzed design changes are unacceptable, the method may proceed to step 412, where the system may prompt the user to correct or modify the unacceptable design changes. In some embodiments, the system may identify the specific unacceptable design changes and provide the user with further information about the design changes. In other embodiments, data stored by the system (e.g., data stored in structure evaluation module 105, bill of materials module 106, cost estimation module 107, 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, whereby the footwear design may subsequently be accepted by the system. The method then returns to step 408, where the system may receive design inputs that adjust one or more design attributes for one or more knit structures assigned to the footwear design.

[0083] If the system determines that the design changes analyzed during step 410 are acceptable, the method proceeds to step 414, where the system may apply the design inputs received during step 408 to the footwear design.

[0084] 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.

[0085] While the particular examples above focus on footwear-based aspects of the technology, as noted above, some aspects of the technology may also be used in the design of other consumer goods, such as apparel. The apparel-based aspects of the technology may include one or more of a method for designing and / or forming a garment, a method for visually representing a garment design and / or inputting design changes, a system for performing the method, and / or a computer-readable medium for performing the method and / or operating the system, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon. Any or any portion of the systems, methods, and / or other information described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1-4 may be used in conjunction with and / or incorporated into the systems and methods described below with respect to FIGS. 5A-11B.

[0086] 5A-5C provide an example application of aspects of the present technology in a clothing environment, such as, for example, the construction of garments (e.g., for covering at least the upper torso of a human). FIG. 5A includes a flow diagram outlining a method according to at least some aspects of the present technology, and FIG. 5B presents further details of workflow and system features relevant to this example. As shown in FIG. 5A, an initial step S500 of this example process involves receiving “body map” data. This body map data may come from any suitable source, such as an optical scan of a particular wearer's body (e.g., to provide dimensional information, optionally for creating customized clothing), a thermal scan of a particular wearer's body (e.g., to provide heat release information, optionally while or after a user is engaged in an activity for designing the garment), photographic or video data, etc. As another option, this "body map" data may be obtained or collected from a standard size source, such as a mannequin or other structure sized with standard clothing sizes (e.g., child / toddler sizes 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months; infant / child sizes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6X; children's sizes 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16; adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL, etc.). The body map data may be provided, for example, in Adobe Illustrator® (graphic design software provided by Adobe), or other graphic design software. FIG. 5B illustrates, at reference numeral 550, an initial display of body map data on a computer display device. A particular example of this body map data 550 includes a thermal scan of the upper back torso of a human body (optionally after the person has engaged in some type of athletic activity), as also shown, for example, in FIG. 5C.

[0087] Garment design input data 502 for a garment design (e.g., an initial garment design 500) may be generated (step S502) based on the body map data 550 (or other suitable garment / body information and / or data, such as stored data or a base garment design from a garment design 500 of a previous iteration of the process described below). In at least some embodiments of the present technology, a computer / computer program "translation module" may automatically generate at least some portions of the initial garment design 500 (and optionally the entire initial garment design 500) based at least in part on the body map data 550 (e.g., based on scanning with an optical and / or thermal scanner; based on standard garment size / sizing data; based on data stored for the garment design 500, such as data obtained by a previous iteration of the method). For example, from the "hot spots" shown in thermal scan 550 (such as in FIG. 5C ), a computer program may generate a garment design 500 having regions within the garment structure that are relatively more air permeable (e.g., open holes, regions with relatively high porosity, regions with moisture-wicking materials, regions with textured structures that help keep portions of the garment away from the wearer's body, etc.), for example, when designing lightweight garments (such as athletic jerseys or other garments) for use in warm environments. As another example, from the "hot spots" shown in thermal scan 550, a computer program may generate a garment design 500 having regions within the garment structure that are relatively more thermally insulating (or thermally resistant) (e.g., using pleats or thicker and heavier materials) for example, when creating lightweight yet warm garments for use in cold environments (e.g., to create a garment that keeps the wearer warm by providing thermal insulation at targeted "heat release" locations that can make other areas of the garment lighter, more flexible, and / or less restrictive).As yet another example, from photographs, video, optical scans, and / or other size information, a computer program may generate a garment design 500 having areas of relatively high stretch within the garment structure (e.g., areas made from knitted or sewn yarns with relatively high stretch / elasticity at the elbows, shoulders, underarms, knees, etc.).

[0088] In view of the above discussion, when producing a knitted garment, a designer will often want different regions or zones of the garment (e.g., zones of air permeability, thermal insulation, durability, texture, stretch, moisture wicking, hydrophobicity, etc.) to provide different functions and / or performance gains. When knitting a garment, zones with different functions and / or performance gains may be created, for example, by knitting different structures into the garment in specific regions or zones of the garment structure and / or by selecting different materials for the garment in specific regions or zones of the garment structure. Thus, in step S502, garment design input data 502 for the garment design may be generated based on body map data 550 (or other appropriate garment / body information and / or data, including previous iterations of the garment design 500). This step S502 may be performed, at least in part, by a computer using an example “translation module” (e.g., “translation” software), described in further detail below. This garment design input data 502 may include a data set having instructions for knitting a garment on a computer-controlled knitting machine to generate the desired garment design 500. The garment design input data 502 created (e.g., by a translation module) may include data representing different knitting units and / or different knitting actions at various locations within the garment structure. As some more specific examples, the garment design input data 502 may include (a) data representing a first knitting unit at a first location in the garment design 500 and (b) data representing a second knitting unit (which may be the same as or different from the first knitting unit) at a second location in the garment design 500. The garment design 500 may have several different knitting units located at various locations on the garment design 500. Examples of knit garment design input data 502 and different knitting units are described in more detail below. FIG. 5B generally represents a portion of the garment design input data at reference numeral 502.

[0089] After the initial garment design input data 502 is generated, the garment design input data 502 may be converted, as needed, into a knitting machine instruction data set (S504 in FIG. 5A ), for example, based on a body scan 550, a garment design 500, or other sources. As a more specific example, the garment design input data 502 may be converted, as needed, into a particular form and / or format used to operate and control a knitting machine 506 ( FIG. 5B ). This data conversion may be performed, as needed, on the design computer 102 used in the garment design process (e.g., of the garment design step described above), on a computer included with or operating the knitting machine 506, on a separate computer, etc. Computer-controlled knitting machines 506 and software for operating them are known and used in the art. Any desired type of computer-controlled knitting machine 506, such as a circular knitting machine (e.g., model SM8-TOP2 offered by Santoni) or a flat knitting machine, may be used in accordance with aspects of the present technology. Element 506I in Figure 5B represents an input device (e.g., a wired or wireless port) for receiving input data at knitting machine 506. The input data received at input device 506I may include, for example, garment design input data 502 (optionally before being converted into knitting machine instruction data), a knitting machine instruction data set, and / or other suitable input data.

[0090] Once the garment design input data 502 has been converted (if necessary) into a knitting machine instruction dataset and sent to the knitting machine 506, the knitting machine instruction dataset, in step S506 (FIG. 5A), operates the knitting machine 506 to create (knit) a first garment 508 based on the garment design input data 502. More specifically, the knitting machine instruction dataset may control individual needles of the knitting machine 506 to create the first garment 508, for example, with a first knit construction unit placed at a first location within the structure of the first garment 508 and a second knit construction unit placed at a second location within the structure of the first garment 508 (with other knit construction units in the design similarly placed).

[0091] Due to various factors (e.g., differences in yarn materials (e.g., stretch, strength, shrinkage, etc.), material shrinkage, material properties, etc.), a knitted product (e.g., first garment 508) may sometimes not perform as expected. As some examples, first garment 508 may have bulges, depressions, areas of excess material and / or bunching; may not drape properly; may have structural integrity issues; may not physically fit the body properly; etc. These unexpected issues are particularly likely to occur early in the process of designing a new garment and / or when trying out new materials and / or new combinations of materials. As other examples, the garment 508 may not perform in the desired / anticipated manner (e.g., it may not include enough structure to hold together over time or for the intended use, it may not provide the desired level of air permeability, it may not provide the desired level of thermal insulation, it may not provide the desired level of stretch, it may not provide the desired texture and / or drape characteristics, it may not fit properly, it may not have the desired aesthetic appearance, it may be too heavy or too light, it may use too much material, etc.). Any of these types of challenges and / or other challenges with the first garment 508 at this stage may cause the garment designer to want to modify the garment design.

[0092] Thus, in at least some embodiments of this aspect of the present technology, at S508, the first garment 508 may be carefully evaluated to determine desired garment design changes to address some / all of the issues with the first garment 508 and / or to otherwise improve the garment design. In at least some embodiments of this aspect of the present technology, a designer may create a modified garment design 510 in graphic design software (e.g., an Adobe Illustrator® file) by making changes to the initial / previous garment design 500 in the graphic design software (e.g., an Adobe Illustrator® file) (shown in FIG. 5B ).The modified garment design 510 may include: a size of a first knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; a position of the first knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; a size of a second knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; a position of the second knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; a relative positioning of the first knitted structural unit to the second knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; a relative positioning of the first knitted structural unit to another knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; a relative positioning of the second knitted structural unit to another knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; removing at least one of the first knitted structural unit or the second knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; removing at least one of the first and / or second knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; The modified garment design 510 may include changes (compared to the initial garment design 500) to at least one of: adding one or more additional knitted structural units (which may be the same as or different from both); changing the material in one or more portions of the modified garment design 510 (and optionally changing the material of some or all of the first knitted structural unit and / or the second knitted structural unit); changing the distance between two occurrences of the first knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; changing the number of knit stitch operations between two occurrences of the first knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; changing the distance between the first knitted structural unit and another knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510; and / or changing the number of knit stitch operations between the first knitted structural unit and another knitted structural unit in the modified garment design 510.

[0093] Again using the software's "translation" module, the modified garment design 510 from the graphic design software (if used) can be used to generate modified garment design input data shown as element 512 in FIG. 5B.The modified garment design input data 512 may include: a size of a first knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; a position of the first knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; a size of a second knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; a position of the second knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; a relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to the second knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; a relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to another knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; a relative positioning of the second knit structure unit to another knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; removing at least one of the first knit structure unit or the second knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data 512; removing one or both of the first and / or second knit structure units in the modified garment design input data 512. The modified garment design input data 512 may include changes to various characteristics from (or compared to) the initial garment design input data 502, such as changes to one or more of: adding one or more additional knit construction units (which may be the same as or different from the first knit construction unit); changing the material in one or more portions of the garment design (and optionally changing the material of some or all of the first knit construction unit and / or the second knit construction unit) in the modified garment design input data 512; changing the distance between two occurrences of the first knit construction unit in the modified garment design input data 512; changing the number of knit stitch operations between two occurrences of the first knit construction unit in the modified garment design input data 512; changing the distance between the first knit construction unit and another knit construction unit in the modified garment design input data 512; and / or changing the number of knit stitch operations between the first knit construction unit and another knit construction unit in the modified garment design input data 512. This modified garment design input data 512 may include a data set having instructions for knitting a garment to generate the desired modified garment design 510.

[0094] Additionally or alternatively, the designer may make one, some, or all of the desired garment changes directly in the modified garment design input data 512, rather than making the changes to the garment design 510 within the graphic design software. In other words, at least one design change (and optionally, any or more design changes) may follow the path of dashed arrow A shown in FIG. 5B directly to the modified garment design input data 512. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments of the present technology, changes to the garment design made when creating the modified garment design 510 and / or the modified garment design input data 512 may include changes to structures automatically generated by systems and methods according to at least some aspects of the present technology, for example, using “rules,” examples of which are described in further detail below.

[0095] Once the modified garment design input data 512 is created, it may be converted, as needed, into a knitting machine instruction data set (S510 in FIG. 5A). As a more specific example, the garment design input data 512 may be converted, as needed, into a particular form and / or format used to operate and control the knitting machine 506 (FIG. 5B). This may be the same knitting machine 506 used to knit the first garment 508, or a different knitting machine (same type / model or different type / model). This data conversion, when needed, may occur on the design computer 102 used in the garment design process (e.g., to create the modified garment design 510 and / or modified garment design input data 512 and / or for use in other garment design steps described above), on a computer included with or operating the knitting machine 506, on a separate computer, etc. Element 506I in FIG. 5B represents an input device (e.g., a wired or wireless port) that receives input data sent to the knitting machine 506. The input data received at input device 506I in this step may include, for example, modified garment design input data 512 before being converted into knitting machine instruction data, a knitting machine instruction data set, and / or other suitable input data.

[0096] Using the modified knitting machine instruction data set, at least one knitting machine 506 knits (step S512) a second garment 514. During this step S512, the modified knitting machine instruction data set is used to control the operation of the knitting machine 506 to create (knit) a second garment 514 that corresponds to the modified garment design input data 512, including the changes from the initial garment design input data 502. More specifically, the knitting machine instruction data set may control individual needles of the knitting machine 506 to create the second garment 514 having the changes from the initial garment design input data 502.

[0097] Once created, the second garment 514 may be carefully evaluated to determine what additional garment design modifications may be desired to address some or all of the issues, if any, related to the second garment 514. As noted above, even this second-generation knitted product (i.e., the second garment 514 in this example) may sometimes not perform as expected due to various factors. For example, the second garment 514 may have any of the structural, fit, and / or other issues described above. Any of these types of issues with the second garment 514 at this stage may prompt the garment designer to further modify the garment design. In this example, steps S508-S512 may be repeated as many times as necessary until the final desired physical garment and / or garment design is created (step S514).

[0098] 5B , in some embodiments of the present technology, garment design input data 502 may be generated by a translation module directly from initial body map data 550 or from other information in the initial garment design 500. Additionally or alternatively, if desired, the translation module of systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present technology may (a) generate the initial garment design 500 from body map data 550 or other input data (indicated by the downward dashed arrow in FIG. 5B ), and then (b) generate the initial garment design input data 502 from the initial garment design 500. Additionally or alternatively, the garment design(s) (e.g., 500, 510) may function and / or operate together with the garment design input data (e.g., 502, 512) such that changes in one data set are automatically applied to create corresponding changes in the other data set. For example, systems and methods consistent with at least some embodiments of the present technology may operate such that (a) changes made in the garment design input data 502, 512 are translated and / or displayed (or displayable) in the graphical user interface depicting the garment designs 500, 510, and / or (b) changes made to the visual representation of the garment designs 500, 510 in the graphical user interface are translated into the garment design input data 502, 512. Such corresponding changes in the two data sets 500 / 510 and 502 / 512 may occur automatically (e.g., in real time as the changes are entered), after a delay, or in response to a "make changes" command.

[0099] 5A and 5B describe an iterative process for designing a garment to modify (e.g., correct problems or issues) from a previous iteration of the design 500. However, a similar iterative process can be used even if the initial garment design input data 502 and / or the first knit garment 508 provide an acceptable garment product. For example, in methods according to at least some embodiments of the present technology, the overall size of the second garment 514 (and / or the modified garment design 510 and / or the modified garment design input data 512) may be changed compared to the size of the first garment 508 (and the first garment design 500 and / or the initial garment design input data 502). Indeed, in some embodiments, systems and methods according to the present technology may be used to create graduated garment design sizes (e.g., sizes graduated between two or more of the following individual sizes: child / toddler sizes: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months; infant / child sizes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6X; children's sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16; and / or adult sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL). Potential garment design variations, knit construction unit sizes and / or spacing, and / or other potential features of sizing and / or size grading for garment designs are described in further detail below.

[0100] Further potential features and examples of "translation" from "body map" data to a garment design are now described. As noted above, in at least some embodiments of the present technology, body map data 550 (e.g., from an optical or thermal scanner) may be used as a starting point for creating garment design input data 502 for a garment design 500. Additionally or alternatively, an initial, generic, or other base garment or garment design 500 in graphic design software may be used as a starting point for a design that includes designs of previous iterations of the garment being designed and the methods described above. In some embodiments of such a system, a designer may select a base material and / or base knit construction for the garment in a timely manner. A user or the translation module software may use the body scan 550 or base garment design 500, a selection tool (e.g., a mouse or other pointer), or other input to identify one or more areas on the garment structure that may need to provide specific knitted structural units and / or that may need to have one or more modifications to existing knitted structural units, for example, to achieve a desired gain (e.g., to provide a desired air permeability, ventilation, thermal insulation, brushed texture, structural support rib, stretch, expandability, hydrophobicity, etc.). The translation module may then add data to (or modify data already contained within) the set of garment design input data 502 and / or the set of modified garment design input data 512 (e.g., bitmaps or other suitable data sets or data structures) that represent these desired knitted structural units at the desired locations so that the knitted structural units are knitted at the desired locations within the garment structure. This display of the garment design 500 and / or modified garment design 510 may also be updated to show the modifications (e.g., adding and / or modifying knitted structural unit features). The translation module may also apply any desired construction rules associated with the knitted structural units, if necessary or desired.This may be accomplished before, during, or after the desired knit construction units are entered into the set of garment design input data 502 and / or the set of modified garment design input data 512 (and modifications may be made by the translation module to comply with regulations, if necessary). Once the desired knit construction units have all been inserted into the set of garment design input data 502 and / or the set of modified garment design input data 512 (and optionally the garment design 500 and / or modified garment design 510 displayed on the design computer display), the translation module may fill other areas of the dataset (e.g., other areas of the bitmap) with data representing the base material and / or base knit construction for the desired garment. Alternatively, if desired, the garment design 500, garment design input data 502, modified garment design 510, and / or modified garment design input data 512 can be initially created by first creating the entire garment design information using a selected base material and / or base knit construction for the desired garment, and then information identifying knit construction units in various zones or regions to achieve a desired gain (e.g., performance gain) can be inserted into the garment design (e.g., one or more of the garment design 500, garment design input data 502, modified garment design 510, and / or modified garment design input data 512), replacing previously existing base materials and / or base knit constructions. Some specific examples of the operation of the translation module for creating and positioning knit construction units and applying "rules" are described in further detail below.

[0101] The next example relates to using body map data 550 in the form of a thermal map as a basis for creating clothing designs 500 and / or clothing design input data 502 (or modified clothing designs 510 and / or modified clothing design input data 512). The human body releases heat, among other things, when an individual participates in physical exercise, competition, or other activities. The release of excess heat is essential because it can help keep an individual cool, enhance performance, and / or prevent overheating and the adverse health effects that can result from overheating. The amount of heat released by the body can be measured or displayed qualitatively and / or quantitatively, for example, using conventional infrared imaging techniques, "night vision," or other thermal profiling techniques.

[0102] FIG. 5C depicts an exemplary thermal profile 550 (or thermal “body map”) of a human upper torso in the form of an infrared image of the body that qualitatively and quantitatively indicates the amount of heat being emitted at various points on the body. Conventionally, this type of thermal profile or body map uses different colors or grayscale gradients (or other gradients or symbols) to at least partially quantify the amount of heat being emitted from the body (at least in at least some systems, the color or grayscale gradient, etc., indicates the relative difference in the amount of heat being emitted from one area of ​​the body compared to other areas of the body). In a typical color thermal profile / body map 550 of this type, colors may range from black to blue, light blue, green, light green, yellow, orange, red, and white (from lowest to highest temperature). In the grayscale version of the thermal profile 550 in FIG. 5C, reference numbers correspond to the various colors of the color thermal profile, as follows: [Table 1] While a grayscale such as that shown in Figure 5C may lose some of the fine gradations between various regions or zones having different thermal properties, the grayscale image of Figure 5C generally depicts the boundaries between regions that are emitting more heat compared to other regions. Any type of thermal profiling, thermal imaging, storage, display, and / or thermal profiling or imaging data may be used without departing from this disclosure.

[0103] From the "hot spots" indicated in the thermal scan 550 (e.g., FIG. 5C ), a computer program translation module can generate a garment design 500 having specific "knit construction units" to provide relatively air permeable regions or zones in the garment structure positioned to efficiently and effectively cool the body. These "knit construction units" may include, for example, knitted apertures, areas of relatively high porosity, areas with moisture-wicking materials, or areas with texture or other structures that help lift portions of the garment off the wearer's body surface (e.g., enhance airflow) in locations corresponding to relatively high heat release (based on the information available in the thermal scan 550). This information can be used, for example, when designing lightweight garments (e.g., athletic jerseys or other garments) for use in warm environments. The size, positioning, total number, and / or relative positioning of these "knit construction units" can be controlled to provide a desired level of air permeability and / or heat release in the final garment design. As another option or alternative, if desired, the user may select (through a graphical user interface) one or more specific regions on the body map and select one or more knit structural units (e.g., areas of increased air permeability and / or heat release) to include in the garment design 500, 510 based on the specific selected regions of the body map.

[0104] As another example, from the "hot spots" indicated in thermal scan 550 (e.g., FIG. 5C ), a computer program translation module may generate a garment design having specific "knit construction units" to provide relatively thermally insulating (or thermally resistant) regions or zones in the garment structure positioned to help efficiently and effectively retain heat. These "knit construction units" may include, for example, pleats or materials with greater thickness or weight in areas corresponding to greater heat dissipation (based on the information available in thermal scan 550). This information can be used when designing lightweight yet warm garments for use in cold environments, such as by creating a garment that keeps the wearer warm by providing thermal insulation in targeted areas and keeping other areas of the garment lighter and more flexible through the use of lightweight and / or stretchy / non-restrictive materials. As another option or alternative, if desired, the user may select (through a graphical user interface) one or more specific areas on the body map 550 and select one or more knit structural units (e.g., areas of increased thermal insulation and / or warmth) to include in the garment design 500, 510 based on the specific selected areas of the body map.

[0105] As yet another option or alternative, if desired, areas of increased stretch may be identified based on photographs, video, and / or optical scans of the body and incorporated into the garment design 500, 510 by incorporating specific "knit construction units" that promote or support stretch in specific areas or zones within the garment structure. These "knit construction units" may include, for example, zones made from relatively high elasticity / stretch material(s), physical structures that stretch in one or more directions and / or fold over (e.g., accordion-style) or otherwise promote expansion (such as dense rib 602 at cuff 604 of sleeve 600 (see FIG. 6A ) or dense rib 612 at neck opening 610 (see FIG. 6B )), etc. The computer program (e.g., a translation module) may locate these areas where increased stretchability may be desired, for example, in the shoulder and / or underarm region(s) of the garment structure; the elbow and / or sleeve regions of the garment structure; the center, back shoulder, or entire back dorsal region of the garment structure; the knee region of the garment structure, etc. As another option or alternative, if desired, the user may select one or more specific regions on the body map (through a graphical user interface) and select one or more knit structural units (e.g., regions of increased stretchability) for inclusion in the garment design 500, 510 based on the specific selected regions of the body map.

[0106] As yet another option or alternative, if desired, areas of increased wear and / or areas where increased durability is desired may be identified in the body map data 550 and incorporated into the garment design 500, 510 by incorporating specific "knit construction units" with increased durability or wear resistance into specific regions or zones within the garment structure. These "knit construction units" may include, for example, zones made from a more wear-resistant material or physical structures that provide a relatively thicker material in selected regions (such as dense rib 602 at the cuff 604 of sleeve 600 (see FIG. 6A ) or dense rib 612 at the neck opening 610 (see FIG. 6B )). A computer program (e.g., a translation module) may locate these regions within the body map 550, such as the sleeve and / or neck opening region(s), elbow regions, and knee regions of the garment structure, for providing knit construction units with increased wear resistance in the garment design 500, 510 and / or garment structure. As another option or alternative, if desired, the user may select one or more specific areas on the body map (through a graphical user interface) and select knit structural units (e.g., areas of increased abrasion resistance) to be included in the garment design 550, 510 based on the specific selected areas of the body map 550.

[0107] Similarly, regions or zones of increased hydrophobicity may be incorporated into the design of a garment structure using body map data 550 (e.g., by incorporating specific "knit construction units" having materials with increased hydrophobicity in specific regions or zones within the garment structure). These "knit construction units" may include, for example, zones made from highly hydrophobic materials.

[0108] In the above-described systems and methods, body map data 550 or other garment design data 500, 510 (e.g., created in Adobe Illustrator® or other graphic design tool) is converted or translated (by a computer “translation module”) into garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512. The data or data structures corresponding to garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512 may have any desired form, format, and / or configuration without departing from this aspect of the disclosure.

[0109] 7 depicts example features of potential data structures for garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512 in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology. In the illustrated embodiment, garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512 are provided as a bitmap 700. Each column 702 (vertical in FIG. 7 ) of bitmap 700 represents a particular needle on a knitting machine 506 (e.g., a circular knitting machine, a flat knitting machine, etc.) and / or a wale of the garment design or garment structure to be knitted, and each row 704 (horizontal in FIG. 7 ) of bitmap 700 represents a particular course of the garment design or garment structure to be knitted. The various information (e.g., different types of shades and / or colors) provided within each individual bit of bitmap 700 provides information about what a particular needle in that row 702 should do during that particular course 704 of the knitting operation (i.e., what a particular knitting needle of knitting machine 506 should do as knitting machine 506 knits that row 704 (or course) of garment structure 508, 514). The top-bottom structure of bitmap 700 in this example corresponds to the length of the garment structure (e.g., the axial length of a knitted garment when knitted on a circular knitting machine).

[0110] In this exemplary bitmap 700 data, each bit in the bitmap 700 is assigned a color (shown by different shading in the example of FIG. 7 ) that provides information about what the needles of the knitting machine are doing at that particular location in the garment structure. In this particular example circular knitting machine 506, the needles can perform one of at least four actions: (a) performing a “knit” stitch or a “knit” action; (b) performing a “tuck” stitch or a “tuck” action; (c) performing a “miss” stitch (or “float” stitch) or a “miss” action (or a “float” action); or (d) performing a “transfer” stitch or a “transfer” action. Therefore, in this exemplary bitmap 700 data structure, a different color is assigned to each of these needle actions, as shown in the key at the top of the figure. Bitmap 700 (or other suitable data structure) may include colors, shading, data, or other information corresponding to other needle / knitting machine 506 actions. Another potential action may include performing a "hold" action (or forming a "hold stitch").

[0111] Some information related to these operations follows. In this particular example, a "knit stitch" refers to a traditional weft knitted stitch. A "hold stitch" includes a stitch with a stitch leg that interloops in a first course and a stitch head that interloops in a second course, with one or more intermediate courses disposed between the first and second courses. Therefore, the limb of the hold stitch is often long because the head of the hold loop does not interloop or intermesh with the course disposed consecutively after the first course. A hold stitch is created by holding a stitch loop on a needle for one or more intermediate courses in a manner that avoids interlooping with the intermediate courses and may eventually interloop with a stitch in the second course. A float stitch or miss stitch is generally created in the presence of a hold stitch and in one or more courses consecutive to the first course in which the base or leg of the hold stitch is initially interlooped. Additionally, a float stitch is generally in the same wale as the hold stitch. Generally, a float stitch includes a yarn portion extending from a stitch in a wale on one side of a holding stitch to another stitch in another wale on the other side of the holding stitch. The yarn portion of a float stitch generally crosses the wale in which the holding loop is positioned. A float stitch generally forms when the needle holding the holding loop does not receive a new yarn portion. Conversely, when the needle holding the holding loop receives a new yarn portion, a tuck stitch is typically formed, and an intermediate set of knit courses may also include a tuck stitch. A transfer stitch operation involves transferring a stitch from a selected needle to a subsequent needle (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,554, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). The stitch on the selected needle is expanded or widened. Once the stitch on the selected needle is sufficiently expanded, the subsequent needle can be inserted through the expanded stitch and then secured around the subsequent needle. Finally, the selected needle is removed from the enlarged stitch, thereby causing the selected needle to release the stitch.As a result, the stitch is perfectly transferred from the selected needle to the subsequent needle, forming a controlled perforation in the article being made. By selecting needles according to a predetermined set of instructions, a pattern of perforations can be formed in the article. The transfer stitch structure includes a stitch base that interloops with a first stitch in a first wale and a stitch head that interloops with a second stitch in a different (often adjacent) wale.

[0112] 7 shows only four potential needle actions, at least some knitting machines 506 may use multiple different knitting or sewing yarns (e.g., different colored knitting or sewing yarns, knitting or sewing yarns with different stretch characteristics, knitting or sewing yarns of different sizes / weights, knitting or sewing yarns with different hydrophobic properties, knitting or sewing yarns with different feel and / or drape characteristics, knitting or sewing yarns with various other characteristics, etc.) when creating a knitted garment. As such, a set of colors (e.g., four or more) may be provided for each different knitting or sewing yarn used in creating the garment, and / or a set of colors (e.g., four or more) may be provided for each individual spool from which the knitting machine 506 can draw the knitting or sewing yarn during a knitting operation. As a potential additional or alternative option, the data bits of bitmap 700 may also provide information regarding how the knitting or sewing yarns engage with the needles (e.g., to selectively place one of two different knitting yarns at a given location on the front of the knitted structure and the other of two different knitting yarns at a given location on the back of the knitted structure).

[0113] As noted above, each row 704 on bitmap 700 essentially provides information identifying what the knitting machine 506 will do with the individual needles of the knitting machine 506 as it knits each row (course) of the knitted garment design 500, 510. By way of example, "knit" and "tuck" operations (e.g., as shown at the top of bitmap 700) may be used to form a ribbed design, such as the type of rib 602 / 612 shown around the cuff 604 of sleeve 600 ( FIG. 6A ) and / or the neck opening 610 of some garments ( FIG. 6B ). Knit stitch types and "knit construction units" made from combinations of multiple stitches / operations may control the characteristics of the garment and / or the characteristics of zones or regions of the garment. For example, the "tucking" action can be used to create pleats and / or raised textures in the garment structure, and these pleats / raised textures may improve / control the thermal insulation of the garment (through pleats forming thicker material) or the air permeability / breathability (through brushed textures, apertures, etc.). By controlling the materials, stitch types, stitch or knitted construction unit combinations, knit tightness, etc. used in various regions or zones of the garment design, engineered placement of knitted construction units, etc. can be provided and used to control, for example, the air permeability, thermal insulation, stretch, support, drape, weight, and / or other desired attributes and / or performance gains of the garment structure.

[0114] Various embodiments of the technology described above included "construction rules" 120 that can be applied when designing a knitted product. Such "rules" can also be included and utilized in systems and methods according to aspects of the technology, as described above with respect to FIGS. 5A-7. These rules can be applied by a "translation module" that creates the garment design 500, modified garment design 510, garment design input data 502, and / or modified garment design input data 512 (optionally from body map data 550 or other starting data). In general, knit stitches and / or other knit structural units do not stand alone; they can affect and be affected by the stitches and / or structural units that surround them in both knitting wales (columns) and / or knitting courses (rows). Therefore, "rules" can be provided (implemented by a "translation module") that constrain and / or otherwise control the characteristics of the knit construction. These "rules" may be provided, for example, to (a) prevent needle / machine damage / breakage (e.g., "mandatory rules"), (b) protect the structural integrity of the garment (not necessarily mandatory rules, e.g., existing to create a stable final product), and / or (c) comply with knitting "best practices" for the designer or manufacturer (again, not necessarily mandatory rules, e.g., existing to create aesthetic knit structures, control costs, promote sustainability, etc.).

[0115] As some more specific examples, (a) these "rules" may limit the number of consecutive needle actions of a particular type within a row and / or column of the knit design and / or bitmap to ensure that the garment maintains structure (e.g., these "rules" may dictate no more than 25 "tuck" actions in a column of bitmap 700, because too many "tuck" actions in a column may result in too large an opening or unstructured space in the garment and / or may cause the garment to drape in an undesirable manner); (b) these "rules" may limit the number of consecutive needle actions of a particular type within a row 704 and / or column 702 of the knit design and / or bitmap 700 to prevent excessive stress on the needles (which may lead to needle breakage). (c) the "rules" may stipulate that if a first particular knitted structure unit is provided in a location in a garment structure, then one or more other particular types of knitting needle actions and / or knitted structure features must (or must not) be positioned (vertically and / or horizontally) within a certain distance surrounding that first particular knitted structure unit (e.g., to reduce stress on the needles; provide better aesthetics or drape; provide a desired structural stability and / or performance gain of the garment); and / or (d) the "rules" may also be used to produce desired garment characteristics or performance gains, such as a desired level of air permeability / breathability, a desired thermal insulation effect, a desired weight range, etc.

[0116] A "knit construction unit" may be illustrated or represented in the bitmap 700 by a particular set of two or more needle strokes or bits (e.g., multiple sets of two or more needle strokes or bits that are repeated or structurally similar). Examples of potential knit construction units that may be included in the garment designs 500, 510 are shown in FIG. 7 by multiple sets of thick dash-dot lines. Such collections of needle strokes and / or bits may be inserted into and / or removed from the garment design input data 502 / modified garment design input data 512 as a single "unit" (thus providing data within the input data 502 / 512 to form a "knit construction unit"). A knit construction unit corresponds to an area of ​​the garment structure having a desired structure, feature, and / or characteristic, etc., as described above.

[0117] In translation modules and / or other software associated with systems and methods according to aspects of the present technology, creating garment design input data 502 (or garment design 500) and / or creating modified garment design input data 512 (or modified garment design 510) may include applying rules to constrain or control various characteristics of the garment design and / or the final knitted garment. These characteristics limited and / or controlled by the "rules" include, for example, (a) the size (e.g., number of courses and / or wales) of the first knitted structural units created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (b) the position of the first knitted structural units created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (c) the size (e.g., number of courses and / or wales) of the second knitted structural units created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (d) the position of the second knitted structural units created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (e) the position of the second knitted structural units created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (f) relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to another knit structure unit created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (g) relative positioning of the second knit structure unit to another knit structure unit created in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (h) minimum or maximum distance between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (i) minimum or maximum number of knit stitch movements (or other needle movements) between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512;(j) a minimum or maximum distance between a first knit construction unit and another knit construction unit in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (k) a minimum or maximum number of knit stitch movements (or other needle movements) between a first knit construction unit and another knit construction unit in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (l) a maximum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle movement in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (m) a minimum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle movement in the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (n) (o) a total weight of the garment design based on the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (o) a weight of a first portion of the garment design based on the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (p) an air permeability of the first portion of the garment design based on the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; (q) a thermal conductivity or thermal resistance of the first portion of the garment design based on the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512; and / or (r) a total number of structural units based on the garment design input data 502 and / or the modified garment design input data 512.

[0118] Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments of the present technology (or in at least some uses of systems embodying the present technology), the change from the garment design input data 502 to the modified garment design input data 512 may reflect a change in the size of the garment design, for example, from a garment of a first size to a garment of a second size that differs from the first size. Notably, in some embodiments of the present technology (or in at least some uses of systems embodying the present technology), the change from the garment design input data 502 to the modified garment design input data 512 may reflect a change in the size of the garment design from a garment of a first standard size to a garment of a second standard size that differs from the first standard size by at least one standard size step amount. This type of sizing may occur, for example, when creating a "series" of garments in multiple different sizes of the same general design and / or style, such as garments in sizes selected from two or more of: child / toddler sizes 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months; infant / child sizes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6X; children's sizes 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16; and / or adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL. Such changes may require changing a dimension(s) of bitmap 700 (e.g., changing the number of columns 702 and / or rows 704 of bitmap 700).

[0119] When creating garments of different sizes based on an initial garment design, in at least some instances, it is not possible to create the second garment size by simply scaling all features of the garment proportionally across the entire garment design. Such perfect proportional scaling can result in manufacturing, structural, and / or aesthetic challenges (e.g., insufficient space between adjacent knitted structural units to maintain sufficient structure and / or desired drape within the garment, excessive space between adjacent knitted structural units to allow the garment to fit or drape properly on the wearer's body, insufficient space to allow certain needle strokes or combinations of needle strokes to be safely performed, etc.). Therefore, application of "construction rules" can be advantageously used in systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present technology when creating garments or garment designs that vary the overall size of the garment and / or cover a range of sizes (e.g., have different standard size gradations). FIGS. 8A-10C provide various examples of the application of such "rules," such as during the creation of garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512.

[0120] 8A and 8B show an exemplary initial garment or garment design 800 (e.g., a jersey or athletic garment, optionally created from initial garment design input data 502 in the systems and methods described above) and a modified garment or modified garment design 800R (e.g., optionally created from modified garment design input data 512 in the systems and methods described above). In the illustrated example, the garment design "rules" may include a desired level of air permeability for the rear back region of the garment. Because air permeability in the rear back region of the garment design may tend to cool the garment wearer better / more efficiently (as thermal scan 550 indicates increased heat loss down the central back of the body), the rear back region may be targeted as a desired zone to provide structure 804 for increased air permeability based on body thermal scan 550 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5C ). The structure 804 may be a knitted structural unit such as a woven hole or aperture, a woven texture (e.g., a protrusion, pleats, or other structure to help keep a portion of the structural surface of the garment 800 elevated from the wearer's skin to promote airflow), a thinned material area, a moisture-wicking material, or the like.

[0121] When the first garment 800 was designed and constructed (e.g., using the systems and methods of the present technology, as described above), a pattern 802 of knitted structural units 804 (one or more types) was incorporated into the design of the garment 800 with the goal of providing a desired level of air permeability, heat release, fit, drape, etc. A wearer (optionally an individual for whom the garment 800 was custom-made, such as a person who underwent thermal scan 550) can wear the completed garment 800 and, optionally, use the garment 800 for a desired activity. The fit and / or effectiveness of the garment 800 can be evaluated as the wearer uses the garment 800. Additionally or alternatively, other evaluations or tests can be performed on the garment 800, for example, to measure actual air permeability, take another thermal scan of the wearer as the garment is used, evaluate fit and / or drape, and evaluate the wearer's "comfort." 8A and 8B, evaluation of garment 800 (e.g., visually and / or as a result of potential measurements as described above) may determine that garment 800 does not provide sufficient air permeability, and / or does not adequately dissipate heat in the lower and / or upper back regions, and / or the garment is too tight or restrictive around the wearer's core. A designer may then input the data into garment graphic design software to modify the garment design (e.g., step S508 above) and create a modified garment design (e.g., step S510 above). This input data may take a variety of forms, such as (a) selecting (e.g., on a graphical user interface) one or more specific zones or areas of a garment design where increased air permeability is desired (using a mouse or other computer selection device), (b) selecting (e.g., on a graphical user interface) one or more specific zones or areas of a garment design where increased size or stretchability is desired (using a mouse or other computer selection device), and (c) entering data to change the air permeability and / or size parameter settings of a garment design and / or portions of a garment design.

[0122] Based on the input data, the display of the garment design 500 and / or garment design input data 502 may visually change on the computer screen to display the updated modified garment design 510 and / or modified garment design input data 512. In this particular example of Figures 8A and 8B, the garment design 800 has been modified to provide a modified pattern 802R of knitted construction units concentrated at the center back, providing knitted construction units 804 with increased air permeability both above and below the center back (regions 804H and 804L), and providing knitted construction units 806 with increased stretch along the side regions of the garment design. Once the modifications have been input into the modified garment design 510, the modified garment design 510 can be converted (e.g., via a translation module) into modified garment design input data 512 and sent to a knitting machine, where a garment 800R reflecting the modified garment design can be knitted, for example, as described above. Alternatively or additionally, as noted above, at least some (and optionally all) of the modification information may be made directly within the set of garment design input data 502, thereby directly creating modified garment design input data 512. The garment review and modification process may be repeated as necessary until a final desired / preferred design is completed.

[0123] The translation module may also automatically apply rules to control and / or assist in meeting specific design criteria or goals. For example, one construction “rule” may relate to the maximum desired total weight of a garment design. Once a garment design is translated from the graphical design software into garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512, the translated garment design input data 502 and / or modified garment design input data 512 (e.g., bitmap 700 described above in conjunction with FIG. 7 ) allows systems and methods to determine / estimate the amount of thread / yarn of one or more materials in the garment design that will be required to create the garment. These facts allow systems and methods according to this aspect of the present technology to determine / estimate the final weight of a knitted garment based on the design. If the system / method determines that the predicted weight of the knitted garment exceeds the value allowed by the construction rules, appropriate action can be taken. For example, the system or method may be able to (a) advise the designer of predicted overweight and request design modifications and / or authorization to exceed standard rule weights; (b) automatically replace some or all of the yarn / stitching material in the design with lighter yarn / stitching material to keep the design within the desired limits of the rules; (c) provide the designer (through a computing system) with options or recommendations for one or more potential changes to stay within the design rule parameters; or (d) automatically modify one or more knitted structural units or features to keep the design within the desired limits of the rules.

[0124] The structural "rules" may also be applied, for example, by a translation module, when a design is modified during the design process, such as when the size, location, and / or relative position of knitted structural units is changed from the initial design 500 to the revised design 510. Figures 9A-9C depict an example of a portion of a knitted garment structure or design 900 in the initial design (Figure 9A) and with two exemplary modifications (Figures 9B and 9C). In these particular examples, the modifications modify the portion of the knitted garment structure or design 900 to a smaller size. Figure 9A shows the initial design in which various knitted structural units 902A-902G are in the form of apertures, pleats, insulating elements, or texture elements spaced throughout the area of ​​the garment structure or design 900. In the illustrated embodiment, (a) each knit structure unit 902A-902G is generally circular with a diameter D1, (b) immediately adjacent knit structure units in a row are spaced apart by a first distance S1, and (c) adjacent rows of knit structure units are spaced apart by a second distance S2.

[0125] Once a garment including the design features of FIG. 9A has been created and it has been determined that some or all of the garment should be reduced in size, the designer may provide input to a design system and / or method to modify at least a portion of the design size (e.g., inputting data into a graphic design system or set of modified garment design input data 512). As an initial step or option, systems and methods according to some aspects of the present technology may attempt resizing by proportionally reducing the size of garment components, such as by reducing the size and spacing of knitted structural units 902A-902G. This type of approximately proportional scaling modification is illustrated in FIG. 9B. In the resizing example of FIGS. 9A and 9B, D2 <D1、S3<S1、S4<S2である。

[0126] However, as noted above, knit stitches and / or other knitted structural units within a garment do not stand alone and can affect and be affected by the stitches and / or structural units that surround them. Therefore, the approximately proportional scaling described above for changing from the design of FIG. 9A to the design of FIG. 9B may violate some construction rules. For example, construction rules may require (a) a minimum number of knitted stitches or a minimum distance between immediately adjacent knitted structural units 902A-902G in a row (e.g., spacings S1 and S3), (b) a minimum number of knitted stitches or a minimum distance between immediately adjacent rows of structural units (e.g., spacings S2 and S4), and / or (c) a minimum size of a structural unit (e.g., D1 or D2) for various reasons. Examples of such reasons may include preventing damage / breakage to the knitting machine / needles; providing sufficient structural support between knitted structural units; providing a desired drape; providing a desired aesthetic appearance, etc. As such, the proportional changes provided by the modifications to arrive at the structure of FIG. 9B from the structure of FIG. 9A may cause one or more characteristics of the garment design of FIG. 9B to violate one or more of these rules. As some specific examples, proportionally scaling or changing the size may cause the design to not meet one or more structural integrity characteristics for the garment design, such as (a) D2 may be reduced in size below the minimum size required by the rules to prevent needle damage and / or provide a desired level of performance gain (e.g., air permeability), and / or (b) S3 and / or S4 may be reduced in size below the minimum size required by the rules to maintain garment structure integrity between directly adjacent knitted structural elements, allow the garment to drape properly, and / or allow the garment to meet desired aesthetic requirements. In these cases, the “translation module” may apply and / or identify (potential / recommended) changes to the design to bring the garment back into compliance with one or more structural integrity rules or other rules, for example, as shown in FIG. 9C .In the example of Figure 9C, compared to the initial design of Figure 9A and the proportionally scaled example of Figure 9B, two of the knitted structural units (one from each row) have been removed, and the size (D3) and spacing (S5 and S6) have been modified to meet the requirements of the construction regulations. More specifically, in this example, (a) D3 is sized to be equal to or greater than the minimum size required by the regulations to prevent needle damage and / or provide a desired level of performance gain (e.g., air permeability), and / or (b) S5 and S6 are sized to be equal to or greater than the minimum size required by the regulations to maintain garment structure integrity between immediately adjacent knitted structural elements, to ensure proper draping of the garment, and / or to ensure the garment meets desired aesthetic requirements. D3 can be the same as or different from D1, S5 can be the same as or different from S1, and / or S6 can be the same as or different from S2.

[0127] 10A-10C illustrate another example of applying construction rules to change the size and / or relative position of knitted structural units in a portion of a knitted garment structure or design 1000. FIG. 10A shows a portion of an initial design, and FIGS. 10B and 10C show two exemplary modifications of the same portion. FIG. 10A shows an initial design in which two sets 1002A and 1002B of a first type of knitted structural units (e.g., spaced apart ribs or texture elements) are separated by a set 1004 of different knitted structural units (e.g., spaced apart apertures, pleats, insulating elements, or other texture elements) in a region of the garment structure or design 1000. In the illustrated embodiment, (a) each knitted structure unit in the first set 1002A is spaced apart from the other knitted structure units in that set 1002A, (b) the knitted structure units in the second set 1002B are spaced apart from one another, (c) the knitted structure units in the third set 1004 are spaced apart from one another, (d) the knitted structure units in set 1002A are spaced apart from the knitted structure units in set 1004, and (e) the knitted structure units in set 1002B are spaced apart from the knitted structure units in set 1004.

[0128] Once a garment including the design features of FIG. 10A has been created and it has been determined that some or all of the garment should be reduced in size, the designer may provide input to a design system and / or method to modify at least a portion of the design size (e.g., inputting data into a graphic design system or set of modified garment design input data 512). As an initial step or option, systems and methods according to some aspects of the present technology may attempt resizing by proportionally reducing the size of garment components, such as by reducing the size and spacing of knitted structural units 1002A, 1002B, 1004. This type of approximately proportional scaling modification is illustrated in FIG. 10B. In the resizing example of FIGS. 10A and 10B, the spacing between adjacent knitted structural units is modified horizontally by a proportional amount (no vertical size / spacing modification occurs).

[0129] However, the generally proportional changes described above to change the design of FIG. 10A to the design of FIG. 10B may violate some construction rules. In this case, the "translation module" may apply and / or identify some (potential) changes to the design, as shown, for example, in FIG. 10C. In the example of FIG. 10C, compared to the initial design of FIG. 10A and the proportional changes of FIG. 10B, one of the knitted structural units of set 1002A has been removed, and the spacing between adjacent knitted structural units of set 1002A has been selected to satisfy the requirements of the construction rules. Additionally, the spacing between the rib elements in set 1002B has been increased (compared to FIG. 10B) to maintain the desired minimum spacing required by at least any rule. The spacing between knitted structural unit sets 1002A, 1002B and knitted structural unit set 1004 has been increased to at least the minimum value required by the rule.

[0130] While these examples describe rule enforcements or suggested rule changes to a design applied / suggested by the translation module when reducing the design size (or otherwise decreasing the spacing between knitted structural units), increasing the design size (or otherwise increasing the spacing between knitted structural units) may also invoke construction rule violations and / or issue enforcements and / or suggested changes to the design and the placement / relative placement of knitted structural units. For example, proportionally increasing the spacing between knitted structural units may result in the garment not draping correctly (e.g., if texture elements are spaced too far apart to separate the garment from the wearer's skin), not increasing the garment's air permeability, and / or reducing airflow through the garment. In such cases, increasing the size of the garment design may require maintaining closer spacing between adjacent knitted structural units and / or adding more knitted structural units to the design (e.g., to maintain desired drape, air permeability, and / or airflow requirements). Additionally or alternatively, increasing the garment size may cause the garment to exceed desired weight limit rules, and the translation module may, for example, force or suggest changes to the yarn or stitching material or other modifications.

[0131] Any desired type of rules may be applied to a garment design and / or may be applied by the translation module during the garment design process without departing from this disclosure. Such rules may include (a) mandatory rules (e.g., provided to prevent needle / machine damage / breakage), (b) rules based on the structural integrity of the garment (e.g., rules that are optionally overrideable to help the garment maintain its structure sufficiently for the desired use and / or desired service life), and / or (c) "best practice" rules for the designer or manufacturer (e.g., rules that are optionally overrideable to help the garment meet the aesthetic, fit, and / or other requirements of the manufacturer or designer). Aspects of the present technology and application of rules may improve final garment construction (e.g., by ensuring that the garment meets structural integrity and manufacturer-mandated / suggested requirements), improve the design process (e.g., by increasing the efficiency of the design process in arriving at a suitable final garment design and design product, increasing the efficiency and reliability of garment size scaling and gradation capabilities, etc.), and / or eliminate waste (e.g., in reducing the number of iterations of knitting intermediate garment designs to arrive at a suitable final garment design). The application of construction rules in the examples of Figures 5A-10C may be performed using the systems, processes, and / or operations described above with respect to Figures 1-4.

[0132] Further aspects of the present technology relate to systems and methods that include: (a) receiving garment design input data 502 for a garment design, the garment design including data representing a first knitted structural unit at a first location in the garment design and data representing a second knitted structural unit at a second location in the garment design; (b) generating, by a computing device (e.g., design computer 102), a graphical representation of the garment design in a first interface (e.g., computer display device); (c) receiving design inputs for one or more changes to the garment design; (d) creating modified garment design input data 512 using the design inputs for the one or more changes to the garment design; and (e) visually updating the appearance of the graphical representation of the garment design, for example, based on the modified garment design input data 512 and / or other data entered to reflect the designed changes to the garment design. After the visual update, the garment design may include changes to at least one of the following: the size of the first knitting unit in the garment design, the position of the first knitting unit in the garment design, the size of the second knitting unit in the garment design, the position of the second knitting unit in the garment design, the relative positioning of the first knitting unit to the second knitting unit in the garment design, the relative positioning of the first knitting unit to another knitting unit in the garment design, the relative positioning of the second knitting unit to another knitting unit in the garment design, and the total number of knitting units in the garment design. Additionally, creating modified garment design input data 512 and / or visually updating the appearance of the graphical representation of the garment design on the display device may include application of one or more of the structural rules described above. Additionally or alternatively, the display device may display a representation of the garment design 500 and / or the modified garment design 510, and / or the design input may be applied to the computer-generated and / or displayed garment designs 500 and / or 510.

[0133] While the above description has primarily focused on garment design and redesign efforts at the manufacturer and / or designer level, other options are possible without departing from the present technology. For example, if desired, end users (e.g., purchasers) of garments may provide input for designing and redesigning garment structures in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology. As such, aspects of the present technology may be used in conjunction with and / or incorporate systems for receiving user input and / or feedback, such as the systems and methods described in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 15 / 055,129, 15 / 055,113, 15 / 055,086, 15 / 055,016, 15 / 839,032, and U.S. Patent No. 9,867,425.

[0134] 11A and 11B depict some more specific examples of user interfaces for receiving input data for redesigning clothing in accordance with aspects of the present technology (including any aspects of the present technology described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 10C). Such systems and methods for designing, redesigning, and / or manufacturing clothing items may include transmitting (or otherwise providing) data to a computing system (e.g., a computing system including a display device 1100) for generating a rating system (e.g., a user interface panel 1102) on the computing system. This rating system may be used to rate at least a first attribute of a first clothing item. This first clothing item may have previously been supplied (e.g., sold, donated, etc.) to an end user or may have been the subject of a design effort (e.g., within a manufacturer / designer). The first garment includes a garment design 800 having a first knitted component (which may comprise part or all of the garment) having at least a first knitted unit 804 (e.g., any desired type of knitted unit, including any of the various specific examples described above) at a first location in the garment design 800. FIG. 11A shows multiple “first knitted units” 804 at various locations along the central back region of the garment design 800 to provide ventilation / cooling to the wearer. The user interface on the computing system display device 1100 further requests input from a user through the computing system for a rating (e.g., a customer-selected rating) or rating of at least a first attribute of the garment. For example, the rating or rating system in the interface panel 1102 may be provided as an application program running on a mobile computing device (e.g., a web application running on a mobile phone, tablet, desktop computer, laptop computer, or other computing device).

[0135] In the illustrated embodiment, the display device 1100 displays an interface panel 1102 requesting user feedback related to the fit attributes (e.g., tighter, looser, just right) of the clothing design 800 in interface component 1104A and the temperature regulation attributes (e.g., lower, higher, just right) of the clothing design 800 in interface component 1104B. More, fewer, and / or different adjustable input interface components may be provided in some embodiments of the present technology, such as one or more input interface components that adjust one or more of the heat resistance characteristics of the first garment, the air permeability characteristics of the first garment, the fit characteristics of the first garment, the support characteristics of the first garment, the moisture management characteristics of the first garment, the weight characteristics of the first garment, the abrasion resistance characteristics of the first garment, and / or a range of garment sizing gradation characteristics corresponding to the first garment (e.g., systems and methods for modifying a garment design to one or more additional "standard" sizes).

[0136] 11B illustrates exemplary changes to the display 1100 as the computing system receives data including changes, such as a rating / evaluation of the customer-selected attribute(s). In this example, the display 1100 on the computing system generates a modified garment design 800R in response to user input regarding the desired changes. In this particular example, the user (a) moves the fit slider interface element 1106A to a modified setting requesting loosening of the garment, and (b) moves the temperature adjustment slider interface element 1106B to a modified setting requesting lowering of the garment's temperature. The previous settings may be identified (at least temporarily) by indicators 1108A and 1108B, respectively, and / or the user may "undo" previous changes using the "back" button 1110.

[0137] In response to the user's input, the computing system may create and / or display a modified garment design and / or modified garment design input data for the modified garment design, shown on display device 1100 as modified garment design 800R in this example. More specifically, in this example, in response to user input requesting a "looser" garment structure, one or more knit construction units 806 were added to the design to provide areas of increased stretch (e.g., areas knitted with knit construction units and / or used to create the majority of the garment structure from a more elastic sewing or knitting yarn compared to the surrounding sewing or knitting yarns; e.g., a slightly larger garment (e.g., with more courses and / or wales)). In response to user input requesting a "cooler" garment structure, one or more "open-hole" knit construction units 804H and 804L were added to modified garment design 800R to provide areas of increased air permeability / ventilation. As an additional or alternative option, one or more additional aperture structural units 804 may be provided within the central back region of the previously existing garment design (e.g., assuming any applicable "construction rules" allow for the insertion of more apertures and / or aperture areas in the modified garment design 800R), and / or the aperture spacing in the central back region may be adjusted in other ways to increase the apertures and / or aperture areas allowed in the central back of the garment design.

[0138] Any desired changes to the garment design / knit construction units, including any of the changes described above, may be permitted during this redesign / user feedback process. As some more specific examples, the modified garment design input data, after receiving the redesign information (optionally as data including a rating or evaluation of the customer's selection for the first attribute), may include at least one of: a change to the size of the first knitted structural unit in the garment design (e.g., enlarging or reducing the knitted open area 804); a change to the position of the first knitted structural unit in the garment design (e.g., moving one or more knitted open areas 804 to another location in the garment design); a change to the relative positioning of the first knitted structural unit 804 with respect to one or more other knitted structural units in the garment design (e.g., moving the knitted open areas 804 closer to or farther apart in the garment design); the addition of one or more additional first knitted structural units 804 to the garment design (e.g., adding more knitted openings 804); the addition of one or more second knitted structural units to the garment design that are different from the first knitted structural unit 804 (e.g., adding an increased extensibility area 806); and / or the removal of one or more knitted structural units from the garment design (e.g., removing some knitted open areas 804).

[0139] Once satisfied with the design, the user may "send" the modified garment design 800R (e.g., by interacting with the "send" icon 1112) to an appropriate computer / location to enable new garment design input data 512 to be created (again, if desired) and / or to enable this new garment design 510 to be created as a physical garment product 514. This step may include knitting a second knit component for a second garment based on the modified garment design input data (for the modified design 800R) and / or performing any other necessary or desired steps to manufacture the garment. Once created, the new / second garment may be provided (e.g., shipped, sold, etc.) to the user. The "redesign" process may be repeated as many times as necessary and / or desired to arrive at the final desired garment design.

[0140] In at least some implementations of the aspects of the technology described above in conjunction with FIGS. 11A and 11B, a rating system may be provided by a clothing manufacturer and / or designer to solicit feedback from end users (e.g., customers) of the system. This may enable the manufacturer and / or designer to provide better-fitting (optionally custom-fit) garments to customers. In at least some such systems and methods, when a first garment is sold or otherwise provided to a user, customer identification 1114 may associate that particular garment (and its characteristics) with that particular customer (e.g., by registering the garment with the user online, by the user entering the garment identification when "logging on" to the rating / feedback system, etc.). The modified garment design and a second garment based on the modified design (and its characteristics) may also be associated with that customer / customer identification. In this way, the manufacturer / designer can (a) know which ratings / ratings / feedback / design changes relate to which particular garment, (b) track the user's changes over time, and / or (c) provide a better-fitting "first" garment when the user later purchases a new, different garment (e.g., create a new "first" garment based on the latest design of a different garment associated with that customer identity).

[0141] Additionally, in some embodiments of systems and methods consistent with the present technology, clothing may be provided to end users on some type of "subscription" basis, e.g., new clothing is provided periodically at regular intervals and / or over a predetermined cycle or period. However, such systems and methods allow the user to provide rating / evaluation feedback one or more times during the cycle so that subsequent clothing can be designed and manufactured to take into account any adjustments the user may desire. In such systems, a first garment is provided (e.g., sold, donated, etc.) to an initial user, and the user may be associated with the garment (e.g., via stored customer identification information). A "cycle period" may also be associated with the customer and / or the garment, determining how often new clothing is provided to the end user (e.g., automatically delivered, delivered after receiving confirmation from the user that new clothing is desired, etc.). The cycle period may be any desired period, e.g., one month, two months, three months, etc.

[0142] During the cycle period, the user may provide feedback regarding the garment one or more times (e.g., at any desired time, in response to a prompt by the manufacturer / designer, etc.) using systems and methods such as those described above, including, for example, those described above in conjunction with FIGS. 11A and 11B. Once received, the user input may be stored by the designer / manufacturer in a manner that associates the rating / rating with a particular customer and / or a particular product. When the cycle period expires or nears its end, the garment may be redesigned (e.g., automatically or in response to manufacturer, designer, and / or customer input) taking into account the user's input throughout the cycle period. Upon user request / confirmation, etc., a new garment may be manufactured based on the revised design and shipped, optionally automatically, to the customer. Shipping the new garment may trigger the start of a new “cycle,” and this type of “subscription,” redesign, and resupply service may be repeated as many times as desired by one or more of the parties to the subscription transaction.

[0143] In some cases, for periodic and / or "subscription" type services of this type, a user may be prompted to wait at least a predetermined period of time after receiving a first garment before submitting any evaluations of the first garment. This may be important, for example, if the garment needs to be "broken in" and / or if it is anticipated that the user may change size and / or other physical characteristics during the garment's cycle. This predetermined "wait" period may be any desired period, such as at least one day, at least one week, at least two weeks, at least one month, at least two months, etc., and may depend on the cycle period (e.g., waiting at least half the cycle period). In some implementations of systems and methods according to this aspect of the technology, for example, a user may be asked to return a used garment after the cycle period so that the designer / manufacturer can evaluate the garment's wear and / or other attributes after extended use.

[0144] Some example systems and methods according to the present technology, including those described above with respect to FIGS. 1-11B, may include other features that provide useful product design and design re-entry. For example, a manufacturer / designer's system may receive input data from individual users regarding the use of the garment (or footwear). This may be accomplished, for example, by transmitting athletic performance data to the manufacturer / designer's computing system. This data may be transmitted automatically and / or in response to a user's command / permission (and / or optionally in response to the manufacturer / designer's prompts to the user). As some more specific examples, an end user may collect athletic performance data using a mobile application program (e.g., a running app), which may include functionality to communicate with the manufacturer / designer's computing system to provide the end user's performance data to the manufacturer / designer. The performance data may provide manufacturers / designers with additional useful information, including information related to typical parameters of the user's workouts (e.g., distance traveled, time of day, etc.); the user's typical pace and / or other effort-level information (e.g., calories burned, pace changes, etc.); typical weather conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, wind conditions, precipitation, etc.); training frequency (e.g., daily, four days a week, etc.), etc. Any one or more of these factors may provide useful information for designing and redesigning products for that particular user. Additionally or alternatively, this type of performance data may be used at least in part (optionally in full) to determine the "cycle period" of, for example, a periodic and / or subscription-type clothing (or footwear) supply service of the type described above. As some more specific examples, athletic performance data may track the hours and / or miles of clothing (or footwear) usage and trigger product redesign and / or resupply activities when a predetermined number of hours and / or miles is reached.

[0145] While the particular examples above focus on knit-based aspects of the technology, as noted above, aspects of the technology may also be used to design consumer goods using other textile production processes, such as braiding, winding, embroidery, weaving, nonwoven fabrication, and fused filament manufacturing processes. Such aspects of the technology may include one or more of a method for designing and / or forming a garment (including the iterative processes described above), a method for visually representing a garment design and / or inputting design changes, a system for performing the method, and / or a computer-readable medium for performing the method and / or operating the system, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon. Any or any portion of the systems, methods, and / or other information described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1-11B may be used in conjunction with and / or incorporated into the systems and methods described below with respect to FIGS. 12A-18J.

[0146] 12A-12E provide various examples of braided structural units that may be provided, for example, in a structural library (e.g., similar to Heather library 110), and some potential attributes or characteristics that may be utilized when using those braided structural units. For example, FIG. 12A provides a braided structural unit 1200A that includes a repeating pattern of large open holes 1202 surrounded by six small holes 1204. As indicated by the "feature lines" in FIG. 12A, this braided structural unit 1200A provides relatively strong "lockdown" (e.g., resistance to elongation) as indicated by the relatively thick, solid "feature lines" 1250 that extend in several directions. Due to the relatively large volume of the open holes 1202, 1204, this structural unit 1200A is relatively open, providing good breathability / air permeability where the structural unit 1200A is provided. A structural unit 1200A may comprise the braided structure necessary to provide and support one central hole 1202 and at least a portion of the smaller holes 1204 surrounding the central hole 1202. As an example, an individual braided structural unit 1200A of this type may include a hexagonal shaped structure that forms portions of each of the central hole 1202 and the peripheral holes 1204. Alternatively, a structural unit of this type may include a braided structure that surrounds multiple larger central holes 1202 in one or more dimensions.

[0147] 12B provides another exemplary braided structural unit 1210A, which includes a large aperture 1212 surrounded on all four sides by braided structure (e.g., a substantially solid and / or continuous line of braided material). As shown in FIG. 12B, this braided structural unit 1210A provides (a) relatively strong “lockdown” (e.g., resistance to elongation) in the diagonal direction of FIG. 12B, as indicated by solid and relatively thick characteristic lines 1250 extending diagonally in FIG. 12B (e.g., along directions corresponding to relatively straight and continuous lines of braided material), and (b) regions / directions of “mobility” (or increased extensibility / flexibility) in the vertical and horizontal directions of FIG. 12B, as indicated by dashed characteristic lines 1252 extending vertically and horizontally in FIG. 12B (e.g., along directions transverse to aperture 1212). Because the volume of the open pores 1212 is relatively large, the structure is relatively open, providing good breathability / air permeability where the structural units 1210A are provided. The structural units 1210A may comprise the braided structure necessary to provide and support one central pore 1212. As an example, an individual braided structural unit 1210A of this type may include diamond-shaped structures that form portions of the central pore 1212 and the peripheral pores 1212. Alternatively, a structural unit of this type may include a braided structure that surrounds multiple pores 1212 in one or more dimensions. While the size of the pores 1212 in this braided structural unit 1210A can vary, in this specifically illustrated example, the pores 1212 may be slightly smaller in diameter than the pores 1212 in the braided structural unit 1200A (thus providing a slightly less "open" or breathable structure compared to the structural unit 1200A).

[0148] Figure 12C provides yet another exemplary braided structural unit 1220A, this embodiment including a relatively large aperture 1222 surrounded by a stronger / continuous braid structure compared to the other apertures described above. As shown in Figure 12C, this braided structural unit 1220A provides (a) relatively strong "lockdown" (e.g., resistance to elongation) in the vertical direction of Figure 12C, as indicated by the solid, relatively thick, vertically extending characteristic line 1250 in Figure 12C; (b) strong regions / directions of "mobility" (or increased extensibility / flexibility) in the horizontal direction of Figure 12C, as indicated by the thick, dashed, horizontally extending characteristic line 1254 in Figure 12C; and (c) relatively weaker (yet useful / advantageous) regions / directions of "lockdown" in the diagonal directions, as indicated by the thin, solid, diagonally extending characteristic line 1256 in Figure 12C. Due to the high density / continuity of the braided structure of this example, this structural unit 1220A is more closed, providing adequate breathability / air permeability where the structural unit 1220A is provided. Individual structural units 1220A may comprise the braided structure necessary to provide and support a single central hole 1222 or other repeating structure throughout the braided structural unit 1220A. Alternatively, this type of structural unit may include a braided structure surrounding multiple holes 1222 in one or more dimensions.

[0149] Another exemplary braided structural unit 1230A of the structural library is shown in FIG. 12D. As shown, this braided structural unit 1230A includes a relatively dense braid structure having a series of repeating woven strands that are looped or intertwined to form a relatively small opening. As further shown in FIG. 12D, this braided structural unit 1230A provides (a) relatively strong "lockdown" (e.g., resistance to elongation) in the vertical direction of FIG. 12D, as indicated by the solid, relatively thick feature line 1250 extending vertically in FIG. 12D; and (b) regions / directions of "mobility" (or increased extensibility / flexibility) in the horizontal and diagonal directions of FIG. 12D, as indicated by the relatively thin feature line 1252 in FIG. 12D. Due to the relatively high density of the braided structure of this example, this structural unit 1230A is even more closed than the example of FIG. 12C, providing relatively low breathability / air permeability where the structural unit 1230A is provided. Individual structural units 1230A may comprise the braided structure necessary to provide and support one repeating unit of the braided structural unit 1230A. Alternatively, this type of structural unit may include a braided structure that surrounds multiple repeating units of the braided structure in one or more dimensions.

[0150] The final exemplary braided structural unit 1240A is shown in FIG. 12E. As shown, this braided structural unit 1240A includes a densely braided structure forming a diagonal mesh with a series of looped or intertwined repeating woven strands that form relatively small openings. As further shown in FIG. 12E, this braided structural unit 1240A provides (a) relatively strong "lockdown" (e.g., resistance to elongation) in the diagonal direction of FIG. 12E, as indicated by solid and relatively thick characteristic lines 1250 extending in the diagonal direction of FIG. 12E (e.g., in a direction substantially parallel to the relatively straight and continuous lines of the braided material), and (b) regions / directions of "mobility" (or increased extensibility / flexibility) in the vertical and horizontal directions of FIG. 12E, as indicated by dashed characteristic lines 1252 extending vertically and horizontally in FIG. 12E (e.g., along a direction across the mesh openings). Due to the relatively high density of the braided structure of this example, this structural unit 1240A is even more closed than the example of FIG. 12D, providing relatively low breathability / air permeability where the structural unit 1240A is provided. Individual structural units 1240A may comprise the braided structure necessary to provide and support one repeating unit of the braided structural unit 1240A. Alternatively, this type of structural unit may include a braided structure that surrounds multiple repeating units of the braided structural unit in one or more dimensions.

[0151] Based on one or more braided structural units (e.g., of the type described above in conjunction with FIGS. 12A-12E), a designer can use a structural library to design a braided apparel product (e.g., a shirt, footwear upper, etc.) to have various desired properties (e.g., lockdown, mobility, flexibility, stretch, elongation resistance, breathability, air permeability, insulation, etc.) where needed by placing appropriate braided structural units that provide the desired properties where needed. FIGS. 13A and 13B provide an example of applying aspects of the present technology to a braided apparel environment, where the process may follow the same general steps as described above in conjunction with the knitting embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B. FIG. 13A includes a flow diagram outlining a method according to at least some aspects of the present technology, and FIG. 13B provides further details of at least some of the workflow and system features associated with this example. As shown in FIG. 13A, an initial step S1300 of this exemplary process involves receiving “three-dimensional garment base” data. This garment-based data may come from any suitable source, such as (a) an optical scan of a particular wearer's body (e.g., to provide dimensional information, and optionally, to create customized garments); (b) a thermal scan of a particular wearer's body (e.g., to provide heat release information, optionally, while or after a user engages in garment design activities); (c) photographic or video data; (d) a standard size source (e.g., a mannequin or other structure sized with standard garment sizes (e.g., child / toddler sizes 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months; infant / child sizes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6X; children's sizes 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16; adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL, etc.); or (e) a base garment library. The three-dimensional garment-based data may be provided, for example, in Adobe Illustrator® (graphic design software provided by Adobe) or other graphic design software. FIG. 13B shows an initial display of the three-dimensional garment-based data on a computer display device at 1350 .This particular example of 3D garment base data 1350 includes a foot scan or garment base for a footwear upper, although other base data (such as 3D information about a shoe last from which the footwear upper may be made, a thermal scan, etc.), garment structure, and / or other base starting points may be used.

[0152] Starting with three-dimensional garment base data 1350 (or other suitable garment / body information and / or data, such as stored data from a garment design 1300 of a previous iteration of the process described below, a garment base design, etc.), a designer may provide input (through a user interface) that defines or modifies the structure / attributes of various regions of the garment. This is illustrated in FIG. 13B by adding a "lockdown" region 1352 in the midfoot region of the upper and a "breathable" region 1354, such as in the toe box and / or ankle region. The input data for the "lockdown" region 1352 may include directional information indicating the direction(s) in which lockdown or stretch resistance is desired, as shown, for example, by arrow 1358 in FIG. 13B. Additionally or alternatively, similar directional information may be provided to indicate desired directions within the garment structure for mobility, stretch, flexibility, or other attributes. Such input information may be used by the computer translation module when determining how to orient braids or other textile structural units within the garment design to provide the desired directional trait(s) for the final garment. The remainder of the garment design 1300 may be specified to have a "base" braid design 1356 for the garment (e.g., a braid pattern with moderate / moderate stretch and moderate / moderate breathability in the remaining areas).

[0153] In at least some embodiments of the present technology, a computer / computer program "translation module" may automatically generate at least some portions of the initial garment design 1300 (and optionally the entire initial garment design 1300) based at least in part on the three-dimensional base garment data 1350 and / or user input through a user interface. For example, for a garment design 1300, the computer program may generate a garment design 1300 having areas of relatively high lockdown 1352 in the garment structure (e.g., areas of extended length of stiff braided structure, including braided structure oriented in the correct direction(s) to provide the desired lockdown direction(s), and areas of increased air permeability 1354 (e.g., larger pores) in other areas of the garment design 1300).

[0154] In step S1302, garment design input data 1302 for the garment design 1300 may be generated based on the garment design 1300. This step S1302 may be performed, at least in part, by a computer using an example "translation module" (e.g., "translation" software), described in more detail below. This garment design input data 1302 may include a data set having instructions for generating the garment with a computer-controlled fabric generator to produce a physical garment including the desired garment design 1300. The garment design input data 1302 created (e.g., by the translation module) may include data representing different fabric construction units and / or different fabric construction operations at various locations within the garment structure to provide desired localized characteristics. As some more specific examples, the garment design input data 1302 may include (a) data representing the fabric construction steps required to form a first fabric construction unit at a first location in the garment design 1300 (e.g., in region 1352) and (b) data representing the fabric construction steps required to form a second fabric construction unit at a second location in the garment design 1300 (e.g., in region 1354, which may be the same as or different from the first fabric construction unit). The garment design 1300 may have multiple different or independent fabric construction units located at various locations throughout the garment design 1300. Examples of the garment design input data 1302 and different fabric construction units are described in further detail below. FIG. 13B generally represents a portion of the garment design input data at reference numeral 1302.

[0155] After the initial garment design input data 1302 is generated, the garment design input data 1302 may be converted, as needed, into a fabric production machine instruction data set (S1304 in FIG. 13A ). As a more specific example, the garment design input data 1302 may be converted, as needed, into a particular form and / or format used to operate and control a fabric production machine, such as a braiding machine, a winding machine, an embroidery machine, a weaving machine, a nonwoven fabric production machine, a fused filament production machine, or the like. This data conversion may be performed, as needed, on the design computer 102 used in the garment design process (e.g., in the garment design step described above), on a computer included with or operating the fabric production machine, on a separate computer, or the like. Computer-controlled fabric production machines and software for operating them are known and used in the art. Any desired type of computer-controlled fabric production machine, such as a braiding machine, a winding machine, an embroidery machine, a weaving machine, a nonwoven fabric production machine, a fused filament production machine, or the like, may be used in accordance with aspects of the present technology. This aspect of the process can follow the same general flow as the knitting machine process described above in conjunction with Figures 5A and 5B.

[0156] Once the garment design input data 1302 has been converted (if necessary) into a fabric making machine instruction dataset and sent to the fabric making machine, the machine instruction dataset operates the fabric making machine to create a first garment in step S1306 (FIG. 13A) based on the garment design input data 1302. As a more specific example, the knitting machine instruction dataset may, for example, control individual cylinders of the knitting machine to rotate in the appropriate order(s), direction(s), and location(s) to create a first garment having a first fabric construction unit at a first location within the first garment structure and a second fabric construction unit at a second location within the first garment (as well as other fabric construction units in the design).

[0157] Due to various factors (e.g., differences in yarn materials (e.g., stretch, strength, shrinkage, etc.), material shrinkage, material properties, bunching, etc.), woven products can sometimes not perform as expected. As some examples, a first garment may have areas of bulging, depressions, excess material and / or bunching; may not drape properly; may have structural integrity issues; may not physically fit the body properly; etc. These unexpected issues are particularly likely to occur early in the process of designing a new garment and / or when trying out new materials and / or new combinations of materials. As other examples, the garment may not perform in the desired / anticipated manner (e.g., it may not include enough structure to maintain the stitching over time or for the intended use, it may not provide the desired level of air permeability, it may not provide the desired level of stretch resistance, it may not provide the desired texture and / or drape characteristics, it may not fit correctly, it may not have the desired aesthetic appearance, it may be too heavy or too light, it may use too much material, or it may use too much of too expensive material). Any of these types of issues and / or other issues with the first garment produced in this process may cause the garment designer to want to modify the garment design.

[0158] Thus, in at least some embodiments of this aspect of the present technology, in S1308, the first garment may be carefully evaluated to determine desired garment design changes to address some / all of the issues with the produced first garment and / or to otherwise improve the garment design. In at least some embodiments of this aspect of the present technology, a designer may create a modified garment design in the graphic design software (e.g., returning to the user interface shown in FIG. 13B ) by making changes to the initial / previous garment design 1300 in the graphic design software (e.g., an Adobe Illustrator® file). The modified garment design may include: a size of a first woven structure unit in the modified garment design; a position of the first woven structure unit in the modified garment design; a size of a second woven structure unit in the modified garment design; a position of the second woven structure unit in the modified garment design; a relative positioning of the first woven structure unit to the second woven structure unit in the modified garment design; a relative positioning of the first woven structure unit to another woven structure unit in the modified garment design; a relative positioning of a woven knit structure unit to another woven structure unit in the modified garment design; removing at least one of the first woven structure unit or the second woven structure unit in the modified garment design; The modifications may include changes (compared to the initial garment design 1300) to at least one of: adding one or more further textile structure units (which may be the same as or different from one or both of the first and / or second textile structure units); changing the material in one or more portions of the modified garment design (and optionally changing the material of some or all of the first textile structure unit and / or the second textile structure unit); changing the distance between two occurrences of the first textile structure unit in the modified garment design; changing the distance between the first textile structure unit and another textile structure unit in the modified garment design; and / or changing the orientation of textile structure units in the modified garment design.

[0159] Again using the software's "translation" module, the modified garment design from the graphic design software (if used) may be used to generate modified garment design input data (e.g., similar to, but modified from, the garment design input data 1302 in FIG. 13B ), which may include modifications from (or compared to) the initial garment design input data 1302 in various characteristics, such as any one or more of the modifications described above.

[0160] Additionally or alternatively, the designer may make one, some, or all of the desired garment changes directly in the garment design input data 1302, rather than making the changes to the garment design within the graphic design software. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments of the present technology, changes to the garment design 1300 made when creating the modified garment design in the user interface and / or the modified garment design input data 1302 may include changes to user-suggested structures and / or changes to automatically generated structures, e.g., using "rules," by systems and methods according to at least some aspects of the present technology, examples of which are described above.

[0161] Once the modified garment design input data is created, it may be converted, as needed, into a fabric production machine (e.g., a braiding machine) instruction data set (S1310 in FIG. 13A). As a more specific example, the modified garment design input data may be converted, as needed, into a particular form and / or format used to operate and control a braiding machine (FIG. 13B). This may be the same braiding machine used to generate the first garment, or a different braiding machine (same type / model or a different type / model). This data conversion, when needed, may occur on a design computer used in the garment design process (e.g., to create the modified garment design and / or modified garment design input data and / or for use in other garment design steps described above), a computer included with or operating the braiding machine, a separate computer, etc.

[0162] At least one fabric generator (e.g., a braiding machine) uses the modified fabric generator instruction data set to create a second garment (step S1312). During this step S1312, the modified fabric generator instruction data set is used to control the operation of the fabric generator to create (e.g., braid) a second garment corresponding to the modified garment design input data, including the changes from the initial garment design input data. As a more specific example, the fabric generator instruction data set may control individual cylinders of a braiding machine to create a second garment having the changes from the initial garment design input data 1302.

[0163] Once created, the second garment may be carefully evaluated to determine what additional garment design changes may be desired to address some or all of the issues, if any, related to the second garment. As noted above, even this second-generation product (i.e., the second garment in this example) may sometimes not perform as expected due to various factors. For example, the second garment may have any of the structural, fit, and / or other issues described above. Any of these types of issues with the second garment in this process may prompt the garment designer to further modify the garment design. In this example, steps S1308-S1312 may be repeated as many times as necessary until the final desired physical garment and / or garment design is created (step S1314).

[0164] 13B , in some embodiments of the present technology, garment design input data 1302 may be generated by a translation module directly from initial three-dimensional garment base data 1350 (arrow A) or other initial garment design information. Additionally or alternatively, if desired, the translation module of systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present technology may (a) generate an initial garment design 1300 from body map data 1350 or other input data, and then (b) generate initial garment design input data 1302 from the initial garment design 1300 (arrow B). Additionally or alternatively, the garment design(s) (e.g., before and after modifications 1300) may function and / or operate together with the garment design input data (e.g., before and after modifications 1302) such that changes in one data set are automatically applied to create corresponding changes in the other data set. For example, systems and methods consistent with at least some embodiments of the present technology may operate such that (a) changes made in the garment design input data 1302 are translated and / or displayed (or displayable) in the graphical user interface showing the garment design 1300, and / or (b) changes made to the visual representation of the garment design 1300 in the graphical user interface are translated into the garment design input data 1302. Such corresponding changes in the two data sets 1300 and 1302 may be made automatically (e.g., in real time as the changes are entered), after a delay, in response to an "apply changes" command, and / or at any other desired time.

[0165] 13A and 13B describe an iterative process for designing a garment to modify (e.g., correct problems or issues) from a previous iteration of the design 1300. However, a similar iterative process can be used even if the initial garment design input data 1302 and / or the first garment produced provides an acceptable garment product. For example, in methods consistent with at least some embodiments of the present technology, the overall size of the second garment (and / or modified garment design and / or modified garment design input data) may be changed compared to the size of the first garment (and first garment design 1300 and / or initial garment design input data 1302). Indeed, in some embodiments, systems and methods according to the present technology may be used to create graduated garment design sizes (e.g., sizes graduated between two or more of the following individual sizes: child / toddler sizes: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months; infant / child sizes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6X; children's sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16; and / or adult sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL).

[0166] We now discuss additional potential features and examples of "translating" from three-dimensional garment base design data 1350 and / or garment design 1300 to garment design input data 1302 according to the present braiding embodiments. As noted above, in at least some embodiments of the present technology, three-dimensional garment base design data 1350 and / or garment design 1300 may be used as a starting point for creating garment design input data 1302. In some embodiments of such a system, a designer may select a garment base material and / or base braid construction at the appropriate time. A user or the translation module software may use the base design 1350 or garment design 1300, a selection tool (e.g., a mouse or other pointer), or other input to identify one or more areas on the garment structure where particular braided structural units 1352, 1354 may be needed and / or where one or more modifications to the base braided construction may need to be made, for example, to achieve a desired gain (e.g., to provide a desired lockdown, mobility, stretch resistance, flexibility, air permeability, ventilation, thermal insulation, brushed texture, structural support ribs, extensibility, expandability, hydrophobicity, etc.). The translation module may then add data to (or modify data already contained within) a garment design input data structure (e.g., a bitmap or other suitable data set or data structure) representing these desired braided structural units at the desired locations so that appropriate braided structural units are generated at the desired locations within the garment structure. Additionally, the display of the garment design 1300 and / or modified garment design may be updated to visually indicate the changes (e.g., adding and / or modifying braided structural unit features in the displayed garment representation).

[0167] The translation module may also apply any desired structural rules associated with the braided structural unit, if necessary or desired. This may be accomplished before, during, or after the desired braided structural unit is entered into the set of garment design input data 1302 and / or the modified garment design input data set (and, if necessary, changes may be made by the translation module to comply with the rules). Alternatively, the user may be notified that a rule has been violated and asked how to remedy the issue (optionally by suggesting one or more alternatives or providing a "rule override" option).

[0168] Once the desired braided structure units have all been inserted, in the appropriate places, into the set of garment design input data 1302 and / or modified garment design input dataset (and optionally into the garment design 1300 and / or modified garment design displayed on the design computer display), the translation module can fill other areas of the dataset (e.g., other areas of the bitmap) with data representing the base material and / or base braid construction for the desired garment. Alternatively, if desired, the garment design 1300, garment design input data 1302, modified garment design, and / or modified garment design input data can be initially created by first creating the entire garment design information using the selected base material and / or selected base braid construction for the desired garment (or default material and / or construction), and then substituting information identifying desired braided structural units in various zones or regions to achieve a desired effect (e.g., performance gain) into the garment design (e.g., one or more of the garment design 1300, garment design input data 1302, modified garment design, and / or modified garment design input data) where appropriate, replacing previously existing base material and / or base textile construction. Some specific examples of the operation of the translation module for creating and positioning braided structural units are described in further detail below.

[0169] The next example relates to using three-dimensional garment base data 1350 in the form of 3D renderings as a basis for creating garment design input data 1302. The computer program translation module may use the special feature areas entered by the user in the user interface (e.g., high lockdown areas 1352 and high breathability areas 1354 shown in FIG. 13B ) to generate a garment design 1300 having specific “braided structural units” (e.g., from a library of braided structures such as those described above in conjunction with FIGS. 12A-12E ) to provide regions or zones within the garment design 1300 with braided structures that have higher lockdown and provide higher air permeability.

[0170] In such systems and methods, garment design data 1300 (e.g., created in Adobe Illustrator® or other graphic design tool) is converted or translated (by a computer “translation module”) into garment design input data 1302 and / or modified garment design input data. The data or data structures corresponding to the garment design input data 1302 and / or modified garment design input data may have any desired form, format, and / or configuration without departing from this aspect of the disclosure.

[0171] In the illustrated embodiment, three-dimensional garment design data 1300 (e.g., from a user interface) is converted into a two-dimensional representation of the garment. In this embodiment, this is accomplished by dividing the three-dimensional design data 1300 into a series of parallel cross-sectional planes 1320, as shown in FIG. 13B. In this embodiment, the planes 1320 are generally vertical planes aligned in the front-to-back direction (e.g., from the toe to the heel), as shown in FIG. 13B. The three-dimensional garment is then flattened into a two-dimensional representation of the garment, for example, by a computer-equivalent action of cutting the planes 1320 (e.g., along a central axis extending along the sole). Because the garment is hollow, this virtual "cutting" action converts the perimeter of the planes 1320 into a linear structure having a length corresponding to the perimeter of the planes 1320. This linear structure can be unfolded to form a flattened representation of the garment. From a data perspective, this operation may correspond to producing a bitmap (which may correspond to the clothing design input data 1302) in which the rows of the bitmap correspond to cross-sectional locations of various planes 1320, and the length of each row (the number of bits in each row) corresponds to the linear size or perimeter of the planes 1320 at that cross-section.

[0172] 14 depicts example features of a potential data structure 1400 of garment design input data 1302 and / or modified garment design input data in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology. In the illustrated embodiment, garment design input data 1302 and / or modified garment design input data are provided as a bitmap 1400. Each column 1402 (vertical in FIG. 14 ) of bitmap 1400 represents a particular cylinder of the braiding machine and / or a left-right location along the garment design or garment structure to be braided. Each row 1404 (horizontal in FIG. 14 ) of bitmap 1400 represents a cross-section or cross-sectional location of the garment design or garment structure to be braided. The various information (e.g., each different type of shade and / or color) provided within each individual bit of bitmap 1400 provides information about what a particular cylinder at that particular point in the braiding machine should do during the production of that particular cross-sectional point 1404 of the braiding operation (i.e., what a particular cylinder of the braiding machine should do as the braiding machine braids that row 1404 of the garment structure). The top-bottom structure of bitmap 1400 in this example corresponds to the length of the garment structure (e.g., the axial length of the braided garment as it is braided on the braiding machine, which in this particular example corresponds to the length in the front-to-back or toe-to-heel direction).

[0173] In the data of this exemplary bitmap 1400, each bit of the bitmap 1400 is assigned a color (shown by different shading in the example of FIG. 14 ) that provides information about what the cylinder of the braiding machine is doing as it forms that particular point in the garment structure. In a conventional braiding machine, the cylinder of the braiding machine can perform one of at least three actions: (a) rotate to the right (or clockwise as viewed from above); (b) rotate to the left (or counterclockwise as viewed from above); or (c) not rotate. Therefore, in the data structure of this exemplary bitmap 1400, a different color is assigned to each of these cylinder actions, as indicated in the key at the top of the figure. Bitmap 1400 (or other suitable data structure) may include colors, shading, data, or other information corresponding to other cylinder / braiding machine actions. An example of a repeated braid structure unit is shown in FIG. 14 enclosed within a thick dashed line. If desired, the bitmap 1400 may also further utilize different colors (and / or sets of three colors representing different cylinder movements) to represent different materials used in the braiding process.

[0174] As discussed above, each row 1404 on the bitmap 1400 essentially provides information identifying what the braiding machine will do with each individual cylinder when braiding each cross-sectional portion of the braided garment design 1300. As an example, the braiding machine operations required to create the various braided structural units of FIGS. 12A-12E can be obtained from a structural library and encoded into the bitmap 1400. By controlling the materials used in various regions or zones of the garment design 1300, the combinations of braided structural units, the orientation of the braided structural units, etc., the braided structural units are engineered. Such control may be used to control the garment structure's air permeability, insulation, stretch, support, drape, weight, lockdown, mobility, flexibility, and / or other desired attributes and / or performance gains.

[0175] Various embodiments of the techniques described above included "construction rules" 120 that may be applied when designing a knitted product. Such "rules" may also be included and utilized in systems and methods according to aspects of the present braiding technique, as described above with respect to FIGS. 12A-14. These rules may be applied by a "translation module" that creates the garment design 1300, modified garment design, garment design input data 1302, and / or modified garment design input data. In general, braided components and / or other braided structural units do not stand alone; they may affect and be affected by structures and / or structural units that surround them, both vertically (columns) and horizontally (rows). Thus, "rules" may be provided (implemented by a "translation module") that constrain and / or otherwise control the characteristics of the braided construct. These "rules" may be provided, for example, to (a) prevent damage / breakage to cylinders / machines (e.g., "mandatory rules"), (b) protect the structural integrity of the garment (not necessarily mandatory rules, e.g., existing to create a stable end product), and / or (c) comply with knitting "best practices" for the designer or manufacturer (again, not necessarily mandatory rules, e.g., existing to create aesthetic knit structures, control costs, promote sustainability, etc.).

[0176] As some more specific examples, (a) the "rules" may limit the number of continuous braided structural units of a particular type within a row and / or column of a braid design and / or bitmap to ensure that the garment maintains structure and is not too stiff or too loose; (b) these "rules" may require that when a first particular braided structural unit is provided at a location in a garment structure, one or more other particular types of braided structural units and / or braided structural features be (or are not) positioned within a certain distance (vertically and / or horizontally) surrounding that first particular braided structural unit (e.g., to reduce stress on manufacturing equipment; provide better aesthetics or drape; provide a desired structural stability and / or performance gain for the garment); and / or (c) these "rules" may be used to produce desired garment properties or performance gains, such as a desired level of air permeability / breathability, a desired thermal insulation effect, a desired weight range, a desired durability characteristic, etc.

[0177] A "braided structural unit" may be illustrated or represented in the bitmap 1400 by a particular set of two or more cylinder movements or bits (e.g., multiple sets of two or more cylinder movements or bits that are repeated or structurally similar). Examples of potential braided structural units that may be included in the garment design 1300 are shown in FIG. 14 as multiple sets of thick dash-dot lines. Such a collection of cylinder movements and / or bits may be inserted into and / or removed from the garment design input data 1302 / modified garment design input data as a single "unit" (thus providing data in the input data 1302 for forming a "braided structural unit"). A braided structural unit corresponds to an area of ​​the garment structure having a desired structure, feature, and / or characteristic, etc., as described above.

[0178] 15-17 relate to various aspects and features of the application of the present technology to winding methods for creating garments (e.g., by winding one or more threads / filaments around pins 1502 provided on a base member 1500). The winding systems and methods may operate in much the same general manner as the knitting and braiding systems and methods described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1-14, including by the various overall methods described above in conjunction with FIGS. 5A-14. For example, the specific example shown in FIG. 15 illustrates a system and method that starts from three-dimensional garment base data 1350 (e.g., from a body scan as described above, a standard starting garment, or another suitable source). From the garment base data 1350, a designer, through a user interface, may add various regions designated to include one or more special or desired attributes, such as stretch-resistant regions 1352 (e.g., lockdown) and / or breathability-enhancing regions 1354 (e.g., air permeability). As described above, in this manner, the designer may create the garment design data 1300 within and using the user interface.

[0179] Examples of systems and methods according to this aspect of the technology may include desired "wound structural units" to provide various special or desired attributes to the garment design 1300. As some examples, an area of ​​increased elongation resistance may be created by winding a sewing thread or filament multiple times around a series of closely spaced pins in the desired area for that elongation-resistance attribute. Additionally or alternatively, a material with relatively low stretchability may be selected for the area to increase elongation resistance (and / or a material with relatively high stretchability may be selected for the area(s) where increased elongation is desired). As a further additional or alternative feature, the number of turns of the sewing thread passing through a given area (e.g., between any two or more pins) in one or more different directions may be controlled to further control design features such as breathability and elongation resistance.

[0180] From this garment design data 1300, a “translation module” may convert the three-dimensional garment design data 1300 into a two-dimensional representation of the garment (optionally, at least in part, using a cross-section flattening process to generate a two-dimensional shape as described above with respect to FIGS. 13A-14 ). Once in the two-dimensional layout, the translation module may determine a pin 1502 arrangement for the wound structure that will allow the necessary wound structural units to be created in the desired regions to provide the desired characteristics. For example, as shown in FIG. 15 , a narrow pin arrangement is provided in region 1552 to allow for the creation of a wound structure that includes multiple short and / or crossed loops to help limit stretch. Additionally or alternatively, a different, more stretch-resistant material may be selected for the low-stretch region 1352 of the garment design 1300. Relatively wider pin 1502 spacing (e.g., corresponding to increased breathability region 1354) may be provided in region 1554 for increased breathability to allow for the creation of larger openings in the wound structure. Other pins 1502 may be provided, for example, at the periphery of the garment and / or elsewhere to allow for the creation of a base wound design in region 1356 of the garment design 1300 having the base structure. Thus, wound structural units may be translated into data describing the placement of pins 1502 and the necessary thread winding information to provide the desired wound structural units and / or characteristics.

[0181] 16A and 16B provide additional information regarding the pin 1502, the pin base member 1500, and such useful winding features of at least some embodiments of the present technology. As shown in these figures, the pin 1502 extends upward from a surface 1500S of the pin base member 1500 to provide a structure about which the suture or filament 1510 is wound. As shown in FIG. 16A, (a) the suture or filament 1510 can wrap around the pin 1502 from the left relative to the direction in which the suture / filament distributor approaches the pin (or clockwise when viewed from above), or (b) the suture or filament 1510 can wrap around the pin 1502 from the right relative to the direction in which the suture / filament distributor approaches the pin (or counterclockwise when viewed from above). Also, as shown in Figure 16B, (a) the thread or filament 1510 may wrap around two pins 1502 in a manner that provides a single open central area 1520 where the thread / filament 1502 does not cross itself, or (b) the thread or filament 1510 may wrap around two pins 1502 in a manner that crosses itself (the intersection 1522) one or more times, thereby providing two smaller open areas 1524 (one on each side of the intersection 1522) or a "Figure 8" type structure. These various winding features of Figures 16A and 16B can also be used to control the properties of the wound structural unit and / or garment.

[0182] 16A and 16B show the suture / filament 1510 wrapped substantially completely around each individual pin(s) 1502 (e.g., at least about 180° around the pin 1502) and generally returning to the same general direction from which the suture / filament 1502 originated. Other options are possible. For example, the suture / filament 1510 may wrap less than halfway around the circumference of the pin 1502 only to change its direction in the wrapped structure. As a more specific example, the suture / filament 1510 may wrap approximately 90° around the circumference of the pin 1502 to change direction in the wrapped structure by approximately 90°. For some pins 1502, the suture / filament 1510 may be wrapped at an even smaller angle around the circumference of the pin 1502, for example, to deflect the suture / filament 1510 less than 90° (e.g., from 1° to 89°). The suture / filament 1510 may also wrap around the pin any amount greater than 90°, including, for example, from 91° to 360°. Also, if desired, the suture / filament 1510 may wrap around the pin more than once before moving on to another pin. Thus, as used herein, the term "wrap" refers to any desired wrap angle / degree of wrap around the pin (e.g., from 1° to 360°, or more).

[0183] FIG. 17 provides an exemplary data structure 1700 that may be used in at least some implementations of winding systems and methods according to aspects of the present technology. While FIG. 17 illustrates the data structure 1700 as a bitmap, any desired type of data structure, including a series of bits, may be used without departing from the present technology. In this exemplary system and method, each individual pin 1502 on the pin base member 1500 includes a separate and unique identifier (e.g., a pin number). In the example data structure 1700 of FIG. 17 , each individual bit 1702 represents the next pin 1520 to which the thread / filament distributor should move and onto which the thread / filament 1510 should move (e.g., by any angular amount from 1° onward) to create the desired design (and any desired winding structural unit within the design). The color of the individual bits 1702 in FIG. 17 represents the direction in which the thread / filament 1510 should wind onto the pin 1502 (e.g., from the left or right, as shown in FIG. 16A ). Repeated patterns of pin wrapping instructions (not necessarily the same individual pins) may be used to create repeated wound structural units within the final wound garment. The arrangement of pins 1502 on pin base member 1500 and / or wrapping order and direction data structure 1700 may constitute "garment design input data" (and / or "modified garment design input data") of the type described above with respect to elements 502 and / or 1302 in the knitting and braiding embodiments, respectively. This type of data structure 1700 may also include different colors to represent different materials of thread / filament 1510 used in different parts of the garment design (e.g., to allow for quality control by using different materials).

[0184] Once the wound design is complete (e.g., the dispensing head of the thread / filament dispenser has completed all pin wrapping operations described by data structure 1700), the wound thread / filament may be held / secured in place, if necessary or desired, for example, by fusing the peripheral edges and / or other locations of the design (e.g., by applying heat and pressure if the thread / filament used is fusible to one another); by applying a fastening component (e.g., an edge component) made, for example, from fabric, plastic, TPU, leather, etc., using a fusing technique, a printing technique, an adhesive, etc.; or in another manner. Such operations may prevent the thread / filament 1510 from unraveling when removed from the pins 1502, help the garment or fabric element maintain its shape, and enable further fabrication and / or use of the wound final garment / fabric component (e.g., for incorporating an upper into a shoe structure, adding other designs or garment components, etc.).

[0185] The pin base member 1500 and the desired arrangement of pins 1502 may be provided in any desired manner according to the present technology. For example, if desired, the two-dimensional base surface 1500S of the pin base member 1500 may include a continuous, regular array of apertures, and removable pins 1502 may be provided in a desired pattern (e.g., as shown in FIG. 15 ) by inserting the pins 1502 into the appropriate individual apertures. As another example, the two-dimensional base surface 1500S of the pin base member 1500 may include an array of retractable pins 1502, and the individual pins may extend or retract in a manner to provide a desired pattern (e.g., as shown in FIG. 15 ). As yet another example, if desired, the pin base member 1500 and its raised pins 1502 may be generated from a computer representation of the two-dimensional pin base member 1500 / pin 1502 arrangement by rapid manufacturing techniques (e.g., 3D printing techniques). Other methods of creating such a pinned plate 1500 having a desired pin 1502 arrangement (eg, molding techniques) may also be used in conjunction with the present technology.

[0186] As noted above, braiding and / or winding systems and methods according to various aspects of the present technology may include using the iterative design process described above for braiding-based systems and methods. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments of the present technology (or in the use of at least some embodiments of systems according to the present technology), changes from the garment design input data 1302 to the modified garment design input data may reflect a change in the size of the garment design, for example, from a garment of a first size to a garment of a second size that differs from the first size. Notably, in some embodiments of the present technology (or in the use of at least some embodiments of systems and methods according to the present technology), changes from the garment design input data 1302 to the modified garment design input data may reflect a change in the size of the garment design from a garment of a first standard size to a garment of a second standard size that differs from the first standard size by at least one standard size step amount. These types of size changes may occur when creating a "series" of garments of the same general design and / or style in multiple different sizes, such as garments in two or more of the following sizes: child / toddler sizes 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months; infant / child sizes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6X; children's sizes 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16; and / or adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL. Such changes may require changes to the dimension(s) of bitmap 1400 (e.g., changes to the number of columns 1402 and / or rows 1404 in bitmap 1400 and / or changes to the number of active bits in a given row or column) and / or changes to pinout pattern (1500) and / or data structure 1700.

[0187] When creating garments of different sizes based on an initial garment design, in at least some instances, it is not possible to create the second garment size by simply scaling all features of the garment proportionally across the entire garment design. Such perfect proportional scaling may result in manufacturing, construction, and / or aesthetic challenges (e.g., insufficient space may be provided between adjacent textile units to maintain sufficient structure and / or desired drape within the garment, excessive space may be provided between adjacent textile units to allow the garment to fit or properly drape the wearer's body, insufficient space may be provided to allow certain machine / manufacturing operations or combinations of such operations to be safely performed, etc.). Therefore, application of "construction rules" may be advantageously used in systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present technology when creating garments or garment designs that vary the overall size of the garment and / or cover a range of sizes (e.g., have different standard size gradations). The systems and methods described above in conjunction with the knitted embodiment of Figures 8A-10C provide various application examples of such "rules," and these same or similar types of rules, systems, and methods can be used in the braiding systems and / or methods described above with respect to Figures 12A-14 and / or the winding systems and / or methods described above with respect to Figures 15-17. Additionally or alternatively, the feedback and / or subscription systems and methods described above in conjunction with Figures 11A and 11B can also be used with the braiding systems and methods described above with respect to Figures 12A-14 and / or the winding systems and / or methods described above with respect to Figures 15-17.

[0188] Any and / or all of the various aspects of the present technology described above in conjunction with Figures 1-17 may also be applied to other garment and / or textile manufacturing processes. As some more specific examples, aspects of the present technology may be applied to woven manufacturing processes, nonwoven manufacturing processes, embroidery processes, and fused filament manufacturing processes (also referred to as "fused deposition modeling" or "solid deposition modeling"). While any and / or all of the various systems, methods, etc. described above with respect to Figures 1-17 and knitting, braiding, and / or woven manufacturing processes may be applied to these other manufacturing processes, some additional examples related to these additional processes are provided below.

[0189] Weaving processes, such as those using Jacquard looms, may utilize computer-controlled CAD design systems and computer-controlled weaving processes. Such processes, particularly those using Jacquard looms, have a wide range of weaving design and production capabilities. These types of weaving systems and methods are known and used in the textile manufacturing industry.

[0190] In the weaving process, warp yarns are typically held in tension (e.g., typically vertically), and weft yarns are introduced into the structure transversely (typically horizontally) to the warp yarns. By selecting appropriate materials and material properties for the individual warp and weft yarns (and / or portions thereof), the properties of the woven product can be controlled, including the properties in various localized regions of the woven product. As some more specific examples, appropriate weft and / or warp yarn materials can be selected and arranged in the weft and warp directions of a woven fabric to control the localized properties of the resulting woven product. For example, one or more individual yarns (or portions thereof) in the warp and / or weft directions can be selected to have low tensile extensibility (compared to other yarns in the woven fabric). In this manner, low-extensibility yarn(s) can be provided in specific localized locations and / or oriented in an appropriate direction to create localized regions of low extensibility in the direction in which the low-extensibility yarn(s) extend. If desired, one or more individual weft and / or warp yarns may be formed from multiple different materials (e.g., bonded together) to provide different local properties along the length of that particular yarn. The yarn strand material(s) and material properties provided at various local locations (both warp and weft) can be used to control the stretch (more or less stretch), breathability, lockdown, mobility, and / or any one or more other characteristics of the woven structural unit, as described above.

[0191] Other potential alternative or additional features that provide localized control and / or differentiation in woven structures include the "tightness" or "openness" of the woven structure. The tightness or openness can locally control the breathability characteristics of the final woven product. For example, a tighter weave may be less breathable (or more insulating) than a more open weave. The thickness (e.g., diameter) of the warp and / or weave yarns can be used as another alternative to locally control the breathability of the woven structure and the final woven product.

[0192] For an exemplary woven structural unit, in a manner similar to FIGS. 7 and 14 , the final desired product may be considered as a two-dimensional structure, such as might be represented on a bitmap. For example, vertical columns of the bitmap may represent individual warp yarns of the structure, and rows of the bitmap may represent individual weft yarns of the structure. The information contained in each bit of the bitmap may represent, by way of example, the type of yarn material, the thickness (e.g., diameter) of the yarn material, and / or other characteristics of the yarn material. As an additional or alternative example, the information (e.g., color) in each bit of the bitmap may identify which of two yarns (e.g., warp or weft) should be above the other at a particular local location. Additionally or alternatively, the information in the bitmap may specify and / or encode specific weave patterns or structures to be used in various local regions throughout the woven product configuration. Repeated patterns of weaving instructions in the bitmap (similar to the one- or two-dimensional areas surrounded by thick dashed lines in Figures 7 and 14) may represent individual weaving structural units according to this embodiment of the present technology. Such weaving structural units may be stored in a structural library and inserted or removed as units into or from a garment design (e.g., as garment design data or garment design input data).

[0193] As a further additional or alternative option, this type of data structure for a weaving technique may constitute a punchcard pattern, for example, used to provide instructions to a commercial weaving system according to at least some weaving techniques. Additionally or alternatively, if desired, the bitmap or other data structure information described above may be converted into this type of punchcard data / pattern when such information is needed in that form / format to operate a particular weaving machine (e.g., converting garment design data to garment design input data, as described above).

[0194] This type of technology can also be applied to nonwoven fabrication. Nonwoven fabrics comprise sheets of intertwined fibers or filaments to form a final product. Such nonwoven fabrics can have a variety of properties, including absorbency, extensibility, elongation resistance, softness, strength, thermal insulation, etc., including various localized properties throughout the nonwoven product. These properties can be modified in various locations to provide desired localized properties in the final product.

[0195] Typical nonwoven fabric fabrication involves using needles (e.g., barbed needles) to punch holes in a fibrous sheet material, mechanically intertwining, overlapping, and bonding the target fibers. Increasing the density of needle punches in a given area increases the number of fiber entanglements, which tends to increase the strength or elongation resistance of the denser area. Increasing the density of needle punches in a given area can also decrease the air permeability / breathability of the denser area. The selection of fibrous materials (and their physical properties) and / or the overall thickness of the fibrous layers in the starting sheet in various regions of the product can also affect the properties of the final nonwoven product. By appropriately selecting the material and / or thickness of various local regions, the local properties of those regions can be controlled.

[0196] For nonwoven structural units, the final desired product may be considered a two-dimensional structure that may be represented, for example, on a bitmap, in a manner similar to FIGS. 7 and 14 . For example, vertical bitmap columns may represent the “Y direction” of the final product structure, and bitmap rows may represent the “X direction” of the final product structure. Information contained in each bit of the bitmap may, for example, indicate whether a needle punching operation should be performed within that particular region of the product design. Thus, from the above example, a region with a relatively high density or concentration of needle punches within a given region may provide increased strength, elongation resistance, and / or thermal insulation. Conversely, from the above example, a region with a relatively low density or concentration of needle punches within a given region may provide increased softness, mobility, elongation, and / or breathability.

[0197] The data structure (e.g., a bitmap) for the nonwoven design may also encode other features. For example, color or other information encoded in the bitmap may provide information regarding the type of fiber material(s) and / or the thickness of the fiber-based material in corresponding areas of the design. As described above, these features may affect the local characteristics of the final nonwoven garment product. Repeated patterns of needle punching instructions (e.g., size, shape, and / or density of the needle punched areas) and / or other information in the bitmap (similar to the areas enclosed by thick dashed lines in Figures 7 and 14) may represent individual nonwoven structural units in this embodiment of the present technology. Such nonwoven structural units may be stored in a structural library and inserted or removed as units into or from a garment design (e.g., as garment design data or garment design input data).

[0198] As further described above, this type of technology can also be applied to embroidered fabric fabrication. Embroidery and embroidered areas can be applied to a base fabric component, thereby modifying the properties of the fabric component (including the base material and the embroidered structure). As such, embroidery can be used to provide and control various fabric properties, including various localized properties throughout the embroidered product, such as absorbency, stretch, softness, strength, and thermal insulation. Embroidery can also be used to create textured localized areas in the final product. These properties can be varied in various locations by, for example, selecting the embroidery material, the size (e.g., thickness, length, width, etc.) of the embroidered area, etc., to provide the final product with desired localized properties.

[0199] Typical embroidery involves applying and securing a sewing / yarn to a base textile structure. Increasing the density and / or thickness of the applied embroidery material in a given area tends to increase the thickness of the material in that area. This increased density / thickness in a given area may decrease air permeability, increase stretch resistance, increase strength, and / or otherwise affect the properties of that local area. The choice of embroidery material (and its physical properties) and / or the overall thickness of the embroidered layer on the base textile structure may also affect the properties of the embroidered product. By appropriately selecting the material and / or thickness of various local areas, the local properties of the area may be controlled.

[0200] With respect to the embroidered structural units, in a manner similar to FIGS. 7 and 14 (and described above with respect to the nonwoven structural units), the final desired product may be considered as a two-dimensional structure that may be represented, for example, on a bitmap. For example, vertical bitmap columns may represent the "Y-direction" of the final product structure, while bitmap rows may represent the "X-direction" of the final product structure. The information contained in each bitmap bit may, for example, indicate whether an embroidery process should be performed in that particular region of the product design and / or the desired thickness of the embroidered structure in that region. Thus, in accordance with the above examples, a region with a relatively high density or thickness of embroidered threads / yarns may provide increased strength, stretch resistance, and / or thermal insulation. Conversely, in accordance with the above examples, a region with a relatively low density or thickness of embroidered threads (or no embroidered threads) may provide increased flexibility, mobility, stretch, and / or breathability.

[0201] The data structure (e.g., a bitmap) for an embroidery design may also encode other features. For example, color or other information encoded in the bitmap may provide information regarding the type of embroidery thread / yarn and / or thread / yarn thickness in a corresponding area of ​​the design. As noted above, these features may affect the local characteristics of the final embroidered textile product. Repeated pattern embroidery instructions and / or other information in the bitmap (similar to the areas surrounded by thick dashed lines in FIGS. 7 and 14 ) may represent individual embroidery structural units in this embodiment of the present technology. Such embroidery structural units may be stored in a structural library and inserted or removed as units into or from a garment design (e.g., as garment design data or garment design input data). As another example, the embroidery structural units may constitute a series (e.g., a one- or two-dimensional array) of thickened areas embroidered at intervals in the garment design to provide texture in the final product. Such texture provided by thicker embroidered areas can help lift the garment from the wearer's skin to enhance air circulation or breathability.

[0202] Yet another example of the present technology relates to fabrication by fused filament fabrication techniques (also known as "fused deposition modeling" or "solid deposition modeling"). In such processes, thin filaments of material (e.g., a thermoplastic polyurethane material) are extruded onto a substrate and fused to each other in any desired pattern(s) to form the final product. This substrate may constitute an extruder base member (from which the final extruded filament product is removed) and / or may constitute an underlying textile component to which the extruded filaments are secured (fabric component and extruded filament are held together as the final textile product). Systems for performing fused filament fabrication are known and commercially available.

[0203] The characteristics of the fusion filament component can be controlled, for example, depending on the particular layout or design of the extruded filaments in the product. For example, a filament structure formed as a straight line between two points can provide resistance to stretching and / or lockdown along its extrusion axis and between those two points. Meanwhile, curved, wavy, and / or zigzag extruded filament paths can be provided to enhance extensibility and / or flexibility in a given direction (e.g., a direction that tends to stretch or straighten a curved or other path under tension). The size (e.g., radius, amplitude, wavelength, frequency, etc.) of the curve, wave, or zigzag pattern can be controlled to further control extensibility in a given direction (e.g., a direction that tends to stretch or straighten a curved or other path under tension). Exemplary features of such fusion filament components and / or fusion filament structural units are described in further detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 18A-18J.

[0204] The number of adjacent and / or overlapping extruded filaments in a particular pattern and / or direction can also be used to further control the degree of elongation resistance and / or lockdown (e.g., increasing the number of adjacent filaments and / or increasing the number of overlapping extruded filaments in a given space, pattern, and / or direction increases the level of elongation resistance and / or lockdown; and / or decreasing the number of adjacent filaments and / or overlapping extruded filaments in a given space, pattern, and / or direction decreases the level of elongation resistance and / or lockdown). The spacing between adjacent filaments can be used to control breathability (wider spacing increases breathability, narrower spacing decreases breathability). Additionally, the type of extruded material and / or the thickness of the extruded filaments can also be used to control the localized characteristics of the design and final woven product.

[0205] The fused filament construction units may have a two-dimensional structure corresponding to the X and Y layout of the woven structure, for example, in a manner similar to FIGS. 7 and 14 (and / or described above for nonwoven and / or embroidered construction units). Such two-dimensional structure may optionally be represented as a bitmap. However, as another option, the fused filament construction units may have a data structure more similar to the data structure described above in conjunction with FIG. 17. In such an example, the data structure may encode vectors and / or other information that control the direction and / or distance an extruder head moves when laying down the extruded filament (e.g., each successive bit in a bitmap, data stream, or other data storage structure may indicate the next X, Y coordinate direction in two-dimensional space that the extruder head should move).

[0206] The data structures for fused filament structural units and designs may also encode other characteristics. For example, color or other information encoded in a bitmap may provide information regarding the type of filament material to apply at a given location, the number of adjacent or overlapping layers of filament material to apply at a given location, etc. As noted above, these characteristics may affect the local characteristics of the final fused filament woven product. Repeated patterns of extruder head movement instructions and / or other information within the data structure (similar to the large areas surrounded by thick dashed lines in FIG. 17 ) may represent individual fused filament structural units in this embodiment of the present technology. Such fused filament structural units may be stored in a structural library and inserted or removed as units into or from a garment design (e.g., as garment design data or garment design input data).

[0207] 18A-18E provide examples of fused filament structural units that can be used to provide desired localized characteristics (e.g., localized elongation characteristics) to a fused filament fabric component in at least some embodiments of the present invention. In the specific embodiments illustrated, the elongation characteristics of the fused filament fabric can be controlled and tailored, for example, based on waviness (or lack thereof) in a given direction. Curvilinear, sinusoidal, sawtooth, and / or herringbone waves can be used to control the elongation of the extruded filaments in a direction (e.g., the direction of wave propagation). Generally, the more waviness a filament structure has, the more the structure will elongate in the direction of wave propagation. In this manner, elongation can be controlled in multiple directions (e.g., the X direction, the Y direction, one or more diagonal directions, etc.).

[0208] 18A-18D depict various specific embodiments of fused filament structural units 1800A, 1800B, 1800C, and 1800D, respectively. As shown in FIG. 18A, structural unit 1800A includes straight, extruded filaments 1802 in various directions, namely, the vertical (“Y”) direction, the horizontal (“X”) direction, and both diagonal directions. This multi-directional arrangement of multiple straight, extruded filaments 1802 provides strong lockdown and elongation resistance in multiple directions. While each direction in this exemplary structural unit 1800A includes three adjacent (and generally parallel) filaments 1802, any number (e.g., one or more) of adjacent filaments 1802 may be provided in each direction. As shown in FIG. 18A, layers of two or more unidirectional filaments 1802 may at least partially overlap each other axially, rather than adjacently, over at least a portion of the extrusion length of structural unit 1800A.

[0209] 18B shows another exemplary fused filament structural unit 1800B. This exemplary structural unit 1800B includes (a) straight extruded filaments 1802 in three directions: the horizontal (“X”) direction and both diagonal directions; and (b) curved extruded filaments 1802 in the vertical (“Y”) direction. This arrangement of the extruded filaments 1802 provides (a) strong lockdown and elongation resistance in the horizontal and diagonal directions, and (b) increased extensibility in the vertical direction. Again, each direction of the structural unit 1800B can include any desired number (e.g., one or more) adjacent filaments 1802 and / or any desired number of at least partially overlapping filaments 1802 over at least a portion of the extrusion axial length within the structural unit 1800B.

[0210] Another exemplary fused filament structural unit 1800C is shown in FIG. 18C . This exemplary structural unit 1800C includes (a) straight extruded filaments 1802 in both diagonal directions and (b) curved extruded filaments 1802 in the vertical (“Y”) and horizontal (“X”) directions. This arrangement of the extruded filaments 1802 provides (a) strong lockdown and elongation resistance in the diagonal directions and (b) increased extensibility in the vertical and horizontal directions. Again, each direction of the structural unit 1800C can include any desired number (e.g., one or more) adjacent filaments 1802 and / or any desired number of at least partially overlapping filaments 1802 across at least a portion of the extrusion axial length within the structural unit 1800C.

[0211] As shown in FIG. 18D , structural unit 1800D includes undulating extruded filaments 1802 in various directions, i.e., the vertical (Y") direction, the horizontal ("X") direction, and both diagonal directions. This multi-directional arrangement of multiple undulating extruded filaments 1802 provides extensibility in multiple directions. Each direction in the exemplary structural unit 1800D includes three adjacent (and generally parallel) filaments 1802, although any number (e.g., one or more) of adjacent filaments 1802 can be provided in each direction. As shown in FIG. 18D , layers of two or more unidirectional filaments 1802 can at least partially overlap each other, rather than be adjacent, over at least a portion of the extrusion axial length of structural unit 1800D.

[0212] 18A-18D show extruded structural units with filaments arranged in four different directions. Other options are possible. For example, each of structural units 1800A-1800D shown in each of FIGS. 18A-18D can be composed of four separate structural units, rather than a single structural unit: one structural unit including filament(s) extending in the X direction, one structural unit including filament(s) extending in the Y direction, one structural unit including filament(s) extending in one diagonal direction, and one structural unit including filament(s) extending in the other diagonal direction. Structural units of various individual directions can be stacked together to create other fusion filament structural units (e.g., multilayer fusion filament structural units made from multiple individual layer structural units). This type of multilayer structural unit can have any number of relatively small structural filament unit layers, and each individual structural unit layer can include extruded filament paths extending in one or more directions.

[0213] Other arrangements of straight and / or curved filament patterns may be provided to provide desired elongation and / or elongation resistance properties in desired directions. Structural units may be added to and / or subtracted from the garment design, garment design data, and / or garment design input data as single units. Multiple structural units of these types (and / or other types) may be provided within local regions of the garment design to provide desired local attributes to the garment design within those local regions.

[0214] FIG. 18E provides a spectrum of extensibility for various types of extruded filament 1802 structures. As shown at the top of FIG. 18E , a straight extruded filament provides the greatest resistance to elongation (e.g., based on the tensile extensibility of the particular filament material). Increased extensibility can be obtained by adding curvature to the path of the extruded filament 1802, with more and / or denser curves (e.g., shorter wavelengths of the curve / sawtooth pattern, as shown by the downward movement in FIG. 18E ) providing greater extensibility. A tensile force applied in a direction that stretches the filament (e.g., the general direction of filament extrusion) tends to flatten and elongate the curved portions as the elongation force is applied, thereby providing elongation. Additionally or alternatively, the amplitude (e.g., height) of the curve(s) and / or sawtooth can be used, at least in part, to control the extensibility of the fused filament components in localized regions (higher amplitudes generally provide greater extensibility).

[0215] 18F-18J provide an example of the use of garment-based data (e.g., similar to data 550 and / or 1350) in a fusion filament fabrication process according to some embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 18F provides a grayscale representation 1850 of garment characteristics, derived from, for example, a scan and a base garment structure. In this particular example, grayscale representation 1850 includes the desired stretch coefficient (or desired stretch characteristic) of the garment. In this grayscale representation 1850, white and light gray areas (e.g., for each pixel of the scan map) represent areas of increased stretch, while black and gradually darker gray areas represent areas of decreased stretch. Rather than grayscale, color scans and color maps (similar to those shown in FIG. 5C) may be used as garment-based data.

[0216] The translation module can substitute fused filament structural units (e.g., of the type described above in conjunction with FIGS. 18A-18D) and / or filament path structures (e.g., of the type shown in FIG. 18E) from gray / color regions of the garment base data 1850 to provide desired stretch characteristics that match the grayscale / color. This translation / substitution can be accomplished in one direction at a time (e.g., X-direction, Y-direction, diagonal direction) or multiple directions at a time. FIG. 18G provides an example of fused filament structural units extending only in the vertical (Y) direction. As shown in FIG. 18G, filament paths with various patterns of linear and / or wavy characteristics are provided in the Y direction to provide localized regions with various stretch characteristics. Different fused filament structural units (e.g., 1800A-1800D) and / or various paths of the extruded filament 1802 (e.g., FIG. 18E) can be arranged together in the Y direction and / or appropriate localized regions to provide desired stretch characteristics. Each vertical line of extruded filaments shown in FIG. 18G may include multiple fused filament structural units arranged together (e.g., adjacent and / or at least partially overlapping) with the extruded filaments extending generally in the Y direction (straight or wavy).

[0217] FIG. 18H illustrates how the vertical (Y) direction information of FIG. 18G is combined with horizontal (X) direction structural unit information to provide a desired elongation in the X direction in a localized region. As shown in FIG. 18H, paths of filament 1802 having various patterns of straight and / or wavy characteristics are provided in the X direction to provide localized regions with various elongation characteristics. Different fused filament structural units (e.g., 1800A-1800D) and / or various paths of extruded filament 1802 (e.g., FIG. 18E) can be arranged together in the X direction and / or in appropriate localized regions to provide the desired elongation characteristics. Each horizontal line of extruded filament shown in FIG. 18H can include multiple fused filament structural units arranged together (e.g., adjacent and / or at least partially overlapping) with the extruded filament extending generally in the X direction (straight or wavy).

[0218] If desired, structural units and / or paths of extruded filaments 1802 may be added in other directions in the exemplary garment design of FIG. 18G and / or FIG. 18H, such as in one or more diagonal directions, to provide stretch or stretch resistance in the diagonal direction(s).

[0219] Figures 18I and 18J are similar to Figures 18G and 18H, respectively, but differ in the arrangement of fused filament structural units in the Y direction (shown in Figures 18I and 18J) and the X direction (shown in Figure 18J). The garment design data or garment design input data shown in Figures 18I and 18J may be the result of translating base garment data with different stretch factors than those shown in the examples of Figures 18F-18H, for example, a different grayscale scan.

[0220] The information shown in Figures 18G-18J can be further translated, as needed, to provide garment design input data, such as for controlling the extruder head of a fused filament fabrication machine to lay down extruded filament 1802 in desired areas and in desired patterns to form desired designs and desired stretch characteristics. This data can be stored as a bitmap, as a series of extruder head movement information (e.g., movement direction and / or point-to-point movement distance information, etc.), or in any suitable manner for controlling the extruder head (e.g., as described above). The data structure for providing the extruder path and / or extrusion process can include additional information, as needed, such as information indicating one or more of the type of material to use for a particular extruded layer, structural unit, or portion thereof; the thickness of the extruded filament in the extruded layer, structural unit, or portion thereof; the number of adjacent and / or overlapping filaments to be extruded for the layer, structural unit, or portion thereof; etc.

[0221] Information related to the woven, nonwoven, embroidered, and / or fused filament manufacturing systems and methods described above (in conjunction with FIGS. 18A-18J), such as features of the multilayer structural units, may be used in any of the knitting, braiding, and / or winding systems and methods described above. The systems and methods described above in conjunction with the knitted embodiment of FIGS. 8A-10C provide various application examples of "rules," and these same or similar types of rules, systems, and methods may be used in the woven, nonwoven, embroidered, and / or fused filament manufacturing systems and / or methods described above with respect to FIGS. 18A-18J. Additionally or alternatively, the feedback and / or subscription systems and methods described above in conjunction with FIGS. 11A and 11B may also be used with the woven, nonwoven, embroidered, and / or fused filament manufacturing systems and / or methods described above with respect to FIGS. 18A-18J. Repetitive and redundant disclosure of these features as they apply to weaving, nonwoven fabrication, embroidery, and / or fused filament manufacturing will not be repeated herein.

[0222] As noted above, systems and methods according to some further aspects of the present technology may provide cost estimates and / or predicted costs associated with individual designs. Such cost estimate information may be provided using any of the knitting, braiding, winding, embroidery, weaving, nonwoven fabrication, fused filament manufacturing, and / or other fabric fabrication techniques described above. If desired, the systems and methods may provide design modification recommendations to the designer to reduce material costs and / or increase the sustainability of a given design (e.g., by substituting one material type for another, modifying structural units within the design to reduce material usage, etc.). Such cost estimates, cost reduction recommendations, and / or sustainability improvement recommendations may help the designer arrive at an optimized design more easily and quickly.

[0223] A further aspect of the present technology relates to non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device(s) to perform the methods and / or operate the systems described above in conjunction with Figures 1-18J. Examples of such tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, any type of computer-readable media conventionally known and used in the computer industry, including solid-state memory; magnetic memory; and computer-readable memory both internal to the computer (e.g., a hard drive) or separate from the computer (disk, solid-state or flash memory device, data available via a network connection, etc.). The change(s) in the visual depiction of the design and / or changes to the design in the examples of Figures 5A-18J may be made using the systems, processes, and / or operations described above with respect to Figures 1-4.

[0224] Conclusion While the present disclosure has been described in terms of specific examples, including presently preferred modes of carrying out aspects of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous variations and substitutions of the above-described systems and techniques may be made without departing from the present disclosure. For example, the systems, methods, and / or user interfaces may include more, fewer, and / or different functions than those described above, and various features of the systems, methods, and / or user interfaces may operate or interact in various ways (e.g., using different types of interface elements) different from those described above. Also, these various processing steps may be changed, reordered, omitted, and / or include additional steps or features without departing from the present disclosure. Various changes and modifications to the systems, methods, and user interfaces may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the claims.

[0225] For the avoidance of doubt, this application includes at least the subject matter set forth in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1. Receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the input data including data representing a first knitted construction unit at a first location in the garment design and data representing a second knitted construction unit at a second location in the garment design; generating a knitting machine instruction data set based on garment design input data; transmitting the knitting machine instruction data set to a first knitting machine; knitting a first garment using a first knitting machine, wherein during the knitting step, operation of the first knitting machine is controlled using the knitting machine instruction data set to create a first knitted structure unit at a first location within the first garment and to create a second knitted structure unit at a second location within the first garment; creating modified garment design input data for the garment design based on the first garment created in the knitting step, the modified garment design input data including changes to at least one of: a size of the first knit construction unit in the garment design; a position of the first knit construction unit in the garment design; a size of the second knit construction unit in the garment design; a position of the second knit construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knit construction unit to the second knit construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knit construction unit to another knit construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the second knit construction unit to another knit construction unit in the garment design; and a total number of knit construction units in the garment design; generating a modified knitting machine instruction data set based on the modified garment design input data; transmitting the modified knitting machine instruction data set to at least one of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine; and knitting a second garment using at least one of a first knitting machine or a second knitting machine, wherein during knitting the second garment, operation of the first knitting machine and / or the second knitting machine is controlled using the modified knitting machine instruction data set to produce a second garment that corresponds to the modified garment design input data including the changes. Clause 2. The method of clause 1, further comprising generating garment design input data at least in part from the body map data. Clause 3. The method of clause 2, further comprising scanning at least a portion of a human body to generate body map data. Clause 4. The method of clause 2 or 3, wherein the body map data includes dimensional features for clothing design based on the individual from whom the body map data is collected. Clause 5. The method of clause 1, further comprising generating garment design input data at least in part from thermal images of the body. Clause 6. The method of clause 5, further comprising thermally scanning at least a portion of a human body to generate a thermal image. Clause 7. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to a hole created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 8. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to a pleat created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 9. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to a rib structure created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 10. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to an area of ​​increased thermal insulation or thermal conductivity created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 11. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the garment design input data includes a first bitmap, a first dimension of the first bitmap corresponding to the number of knitting needles in a needle row of a first knitting machine, and a second dimension of the first bitmap corresponding to the number of courses to be knitted to form the first garment. Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein individual bits of the first bitmap correspond to actions performed by individual needles of a first knitting machine at particular locations when knitting a first garment. Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the operations include content selected from the group consisting of knit operations, tuck operations, miss operations, and transfer operations. Clause 14. The method of clause 12 or 13, wherein each individual bit of the first bitmap comprises one of a plurality of different colors, the colors at least partially identifying an action to be performed by each individual needle of the first knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit. Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the color of each individual bit of the first bitmap further identifies at least one of a particular sewing or knitting thread used in an operation performed by each individual needle of the first knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit, and a particular spool from which the sewing or knitting thread is drawn and used. Clause 16. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 15, wherein the modified garment design input data includes a second bitmap, a first dimension of the second bitmap corresponding to the number of knitting needles in a needle row of at least one of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine, and a second dimension of the second bitmap corresponding to the number of courses to be knitted to form the second garment. Clause 17. The method of clause 16, wherein individual bits of the second bitmap correspond to operations performed by individual needles of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine at particular locations when knitting the second garment. Clause 18. The method of clause 17, wherein the operations performed by individual needles of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine at specific locations when knitting the second garment include content selected from the group consisting of knit operations, tuck operations, miss operations, and transfer operations. Clause 19. The method of clause 17 or 18, wherein each individual bit of the second bitmap comprises one of a plurality of different colors, the colors at least partially identifying an action to be performed by each individual needle of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit when knitting the second garment. Clause 20. The method of clause 19, wherein the color of each bit of the second bitmap further identifies at least one of a particular sewing or knitting thread to be used in an operation performed by each needle of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit when knitting the second garment, and a particular spool from which the sewing or knitting thread is drawn and used. Clause 21. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 20, further comprising the steps of: (a) displaying on a display screen a first visual representation of a garment design corresponding to the garment design input data; (b) receiving data corresponding to desired changes to the modified garment design input data; and (c) displaying on the display screen a second visual representation of the garment design corresponding to the modified garment design input data. Clause 22. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 21, wherein the step of creating the modified garment design input data includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: a size of a first knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a position of a first knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a size of a second knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a position of the second knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to the second knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to another knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a relative positioning of the second knit structure unit to another knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; and a total number of knit structure units in the modified garment design input data. Clause 23. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 21, wherein the step of creating the modified garment design input data includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: the distance between two occurrences of a first knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the number of knit stitch moves between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the distance between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the number of knit stitch moves between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the maximum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle move in the modified garment design input data; and the minimum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle move in the modified garment design input data. Clause 24. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 21, wherein the step of generating modified garment design input data includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: a total weight of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; a weight of a first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; air permeability of the first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; and thermal conductivity of the first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data. Clause 25. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 24, wherein the garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a first size and the modified garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a second size different from the first size. Clause 26. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 24, wherein the garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a first standard size and the modified garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a second standard size that differs from the first standard size by at least one standard size gradation amount. Clause 27. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 26, wherein the step of receiving garment design input data for the garment design comprises the steps of receiving garment design data and generating garment design input data from the garment design data. Clause 28. The method of clause 27, wherein the garment design data includes data from a three-dimensional rendering of the garment design. Clause 29. A computing device including: (a) one or more processors; and (b) memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to: receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the garment design including data representing a first knitted construction unit at a first location in the garment design and data representing a second knitted construction unit at a second location in the garment design; generating a knitting machine instruction data set based on the garment design input data; transmitting the knitting machine instruction data set to a first knitting machine; creating modified garment design input data for the garment design that includes changes to at least one of: a size of a first knitted construction unit in the garment design, a position of the first knitted construction unit in the garment design, a size of a second knitted construction unit in the garment design, a position of the second knitted construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the first knitted construction unit to the second knitted construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the first knitted construction unit to another knitted construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the second knitted construction unit to another knitted construction unit in the garment design, and a total number of knitted construction units in the garment design; generating a modified knitting machine instruction data set based on the modified garment design input data; transmitting the modified knitting machine instruction data set to at least one of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine; A garment manufacturing system comprising: an input system that receives a knitting machine instruction data set and a modified knitting machine instruction data set; and a first knitting machine including a plurality of knitting needles that are selectively controllable to knit a garment based on the knitting machine instruction data set and the modified knitting machine instruction data set. Clause 30. The system of clause 29, further comprising a scanner that scans at least a portion of the human body and generates body map data based on the at least a portion of the human body, wherein the garment design input data is based at least in part on the body map data. Clause 31. The system of clause 30, wherein the body map data includes dimensional features for clothing design based on the individual from whom the body map data is collected. Clause 32. The system of clause 29, further comprising a thermal scanner that thermally scans at least a portion of the human body and generates a thermal image based on at least a portion of the human body, and wherein the garment design input data is based at least in part on the thermal image. Clause 33. The system of any one of clauses 29 to 32, wherein the garment design input data includes a first bitmap, a first dimension of the first bitmap corresponding to a number of knitting needles in a needle row of a first knitting machine, and a second dimension of the first bitmap corresponding to a number of courses to be knitted to form the garment. Clause 34. The system of clause 33, wherein individual bits of the first bitmap correspond to actions performed by individual needles of the first knitting machine at particular locations when knitting a garment. Clause 35. The system of clause 34, wherein the operations include content selected from the group consisting of knit operations, tuck operations, miss operations, and transfer operations. Clause 36. The system of clause 34 or 35, wherein each individual bit of the first bitmap comprises one of a plurality of different colors, the colors at least partially identifying an action to be performed by each individual needle of the first knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit. Clause 37. The system of clause 36, wherein the color of each bit of the first bitmap further identifies at least one of a particular sewing or knitting thread used in an operation performed by each needle of the first knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit, and a particular spool from which the sewing or knitting thread is drawn and used. Clause 38. The system of any one of clauses 29 to 37, wherein the modified garment design input data includes a second bitmap, a first dimension of the second bitmap corresponding to a number of knitting needles in a needle row of the first knitting machine, and a second dimension of the second bitmap corresponding to a number of courses to be knitted to form the second garment based on the modified knitting machine instruction data set. Clause 39. The system of clause 38, wherein individual bits of the second bitmap correspond to actions performed by individual needles of the first knitting machine at particular locations when knitting the second garment. Clause 40. The system described in Clause 39, wherein the operations performed by individual needles of the first knitting machine at specific locations when knitting the second garment include operations selected from the group consisting of knit operations, tuck operations, miss operations, and transfer operations. Clause 41. The system of clause 39 or 40, wherein each individual bit of the second bitmap comprises one of a plurality of different colors, the colors at least partially identifying an action to be performed by each individual needle of the first knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit when knitting the second garment. Clause 42. The system of clause 41, wherein the color of each bit of the second bitmap further identifies at least one of a particular sewing or knitting thread to be used in an operation performed by each needle of the first knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit when knitting the second garment, and a particular spool from which the sewing or knitting thread is drawn and used. Clause 43. The system of any one of clauses 29 to 42, further comprising a display device provided with or engaged with the computing device, the display device displaying a first visual representation of a garment design corresponding to the garment design input data and a second visual representation of a garment design corresponding to the modified garment design input data. Clause 44. The system of any one of clauses 29 to 43, wherein when creating modified garment design input data, the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to apply rules to limit or control at least one of: a size of a first knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a position of a first knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a size of a second knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a position of the second knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to a second knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a relative positioning of the first knit structure unit to another knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; a relative positioning of the second knit structure unit to another knit structure unit created in the modified garment design input data; or a total number of knit structure units in the modified garment design input data. Clause 45. The system of any one of clauses 29 to 43, wherein when creating modified garment design input data, the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to apply rules to limit or control at least one of: the distance between two occurrences of a first knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the number of knit stitch actions between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the distance between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the number of knit stitch actions between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the modified garment design input data; the maximum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle action in the modified garment design input data; and the minimum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle action in the modified garment design input data. Clause 46. The system of any one of clauses 29 to 43, wherein when creating modified garment design input data, the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to apply rules to limit or control at least one of: a total weight of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; a weight of a first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; air permeability of the first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; and thermal conductivity of the first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data. Clause 47. A system described in any one of clauses 29 to 46, wherein in the receiving step, the instructions, when executed, cause a computing device to receive garment design data and generate garment design input data from the garment design data. Clause 48. The system of clause 47, wherein the garment design data includes data from a three-dimensional rendering of the garment design. Clause 49. Receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the input data including data representing a first knitted construction unit at a first location in the garment design and data representing a second knitted construction unit at a second location in the garment design; generating, by a computing device, a graphical representation of the garment design in a first interface; receiving design input for one or more modifications to the garment design; creating modified garment design input data using design inputs for one or more changes to the garment design; visually updating an appearance of the graphical representation of the garment design on a display device to display changes corresponding to the modified garment input data; wherein after the visual updating, the garment design includes changes to at least one of: a size of a first knitting construction unit in the garment design, a position of the first knitting construction unit in the garment design, a size of a second knitting construction unit in the garment design, a position of the second knitting construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the first knitting construction unit to the second knitting construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the first knitting construction unit to another knitting construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the second knitting construction unit to another knitting construction unit in the garment design, or a total number of knitting construction units in the garment design. Clause 50. The method of clause 49, wherein receiving design inputs for one or more modifications to the garment design further comprises determining whether the received design inputs for the one or more modifications satisfy at least one structural integrity characteristic for the garment design. Clause 51. The method of clause 50, further comprising the step of recommending one or more design changes to cause the garment design to conform to the at least one structural integrity characteristic if it is determined that the received design input for the one or more changes does not satisfy the at least one structural integrity characteristic for the garment design. Clause 52. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more modifications to the garment design comprises receiving design input that modifies the material of one or more portions of the garment design. Clause 53. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input to change the size of a first knitted structure unit in the garment design. Clause 54. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input to change a position of a first knitted structure unit in the garment design. Clause 55. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input to change the size of a second knitted structure unit in the garment design. Clause 56. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input to change a position of a second knitted structure unit in the garment design. Clause 57. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input that changes the relative positioning of a first knit structure unit to a second knit structure unit in the garment design. Clause 58. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input that changes the relative positioning of a first knit structure unit relative to another knit structure unit in the garment design. Clause 59. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes receiving design input that changes the relative positioning of a second knitted structure unit relative to another knitted structure unit in the garment design. Clause 60. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 59, further comprising generating garment design input data at least in part from body map data. Clause 61. The method of clause 60, further comprising scanning at least a portion of a human body to generate body map data. Clause 62. The method of clause 60 or 61, wherein the body map data includes dimensional features for clothing design based on the individual from whom the body map data is collected. Clause 63. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 59, further comprising generating garment design input data at least in part from thermal images of the body. Clause 64. The method of clause 63, further comprising the step of thermally scanning at least a portion of the human body to generate a thermal image. Clause 65. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 64, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to a hole created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 66. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 65, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to a pleat created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 67. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 66, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to a rib structure created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 68. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 67, wherein at least one of the first knitted structure unit and the second knitted structure unit corresponds to an area of ​​increased thermal insulation or thermal conductivity created in the garment during the knitting operation. Clause 69. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 68, wherein the garment design input data includes a first bitmap, a first dimension of the first bitmap corresponding to the number of knitting needles in a needle row of a knitting machine used to form the garment, and a second dimension of the first bitmap corresponding to the number of courses knitted to form the garment. Clause 70. The method of clause 69, wherein each individual bit of the first bitmap corresponds to an action to be performed by each individual needle of a knitting machine at a particular location when knitting a garment. Clause 71. The method of clause 70, wherein the operations include a selection from the group consisting of a knit operation, a tuck operation, a miss operation, and a transfer operation. Clause 72. The method of clause 70 or 71, wherein each individual bit of the first bitmap comprises one of a plurality of different colors, the colors at least partially identifying an action to be performed by each individual needle of the knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit. Clause 73. The method of clause 72, wherein the color of each individual bit of the first bitmap further identifies at least one of a particular sewing or knitting thread to be used in an operation performed by each individual needle of the knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit, and a particular spool from which the sewing or knitting thread is drawn and used. Clause 74. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 73, wherein the modified garment design input data includes a second bitmap, a first dimension of the second bitmap corresponding to the number of knitting needles in a needle row of a knitting machine used to form the garment, and a second dimension of the second bitmap corresponding to the number of courses knitted to form the garment. Clause 75. The method of clause 74, wherein individual bits of the second bitmap correspond to actions performed by individual needles of a knitting machine at particular locations when knitting a garment. Clause 76. The method of clause 75, wherein the actions performed by individual needles of the knitting machine at particular locations when knitting a garment include content selected from the group consisting of knit actions, tuck actions, miss actions, and transfer actions. Clause 77. The method of clause 75 or 76, wherein each individual bit of the second bitmap comprises one of a plurality of different colors, the colors at least partially identifying an action to be performed by each individual needle of a knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit when knitting a garment. Clause 78. The method of clause 77, wherein the color of each bit of the second bitmap further identifies at least one of a particular sewing or knitting thread to be used in an operation performed by each needle of the knitting machine at a particular location corresponding to each individual bit when knitting a garment, and a particular spool from which the sewing or knitting thread is drawn and used. Clause 79. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 78, wherein the step of receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design further includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: a size of a first knitted structural unit created in the garment design; a position of a first knitted structural unit created in the garment design; a size of a second knitted structural unit created in the garment design; a position of a second knitted structural unit created in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knitted structural unit to a second knitted structural unit created in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knitted structural unit to another knitted structural unit created in the garment design; a relative positioning of the second knitted structural unit to another knitted structural unit created in the garment design; and a total number of knitted structural units in the garment design. Clause 80. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 78, wherein the step of receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design further includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: the distance between two occurrences of a first knit structure unit in the garment design; the number of knit stitch actions between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the garment design; the distance between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the garment design; the number of knit stitch actions between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the garment design; the maximum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle action in the garment design; and the minimum number of consecutive occurrences in one dimension of a particular needle action in the garment design. Clause 81. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 78, wherein the step of receiving design input for one or more changes to the garment design further includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: a total weight of the garment design based on the received design input; a weight of a first portion of the garment design based on the received design input; air permeability of the first portion of the garment design based on the received design input; and thermal conductivity of the first portion of the garment design based on the received design input. Clause 82. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 81, wherein the garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a first size, and the received design input for one or more changes to the garment design corresponds to a garment of a second size different from the first size. Clause 83. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 81, wherein the garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a first standard size, and the received design input for one or more modifications to the garment design corresponds to a garment of a second standard size that differs from the first standard size by at least one standard size gradation amount. Clause 84. The method of any one of clauses 49 to 83, wherein receiving garment design input data for the garment design comprises receiving garment design data; and generating garment design input data from the garment design data. Clause 85. The method of clause 84, wherein the garment design data includes data from a three-dimensional rendering of the garment design. Clause 86. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to: receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the garment design including data representing a first knitted construction unit at a first location in the garment design and data representing a second knitted construction unit at a second location in the garment design; generating a graphical representation of the garment design in a first interface; receiving design input for one or more modifications to the garment design; creating modified garment design input data using design inputs for one or more changes to the garment design; and visually updating on a display device an appearance of a graphical representation of the garment design in the first interface to display changes corresponding to the modified garment input data, wherein after the visual updating, the garment design includes changes to at least one of: a size of a first knitting construction unit in the garment design, a position of the first knitting construction unit in the garment design, a size of a second knitting construction unit in the garment design, a position of the second knitting construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the first knitting construction unit to the second knitting construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the first knitting construction unit to another knitting construction unit in the garment design, a relative positioning of the second knitting construction unit to another knitting construction unit in the garment design, and a total number of knitting construction units in the garment design. Clause 87. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of clause 86, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing device to determine whether the received design input for the one or more modifications satisfies at least one structural integrity characteristic for the garment design. Clause 88. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of clause 87, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing device to, if it is determined that the received design input for the one or more modifications does not satisfy the at least one structural integrity characteristic for the garment design, recommend one or more design modifications to cause the garment design to conform to the at least one structural integrity characteristic. Clause 89. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 88, wherein the design input for one or more modifications to the garment design includes design input that modifies the material of one or more portions of the garment design. Clause 90. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 88, wherein the design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes a design input that changes the size of a first knitted structural unit in the garment design. Clause 91. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 88, wherein the design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes a design input that changes a position of a first knitted structure unit in the garment design. Clause 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 88, wherein the design input for one or more changes to the garment design includes a design input for changing a size of a second knitted structural unit in the garment design. Clause 93. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 88, wherein th...

Claims

1. receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the input data including data representing a first fabric construction unit at a first location in a garment design and data representing a second fabric construction unit at a second location in the garment design; generating a fabric making machine instruction data set based on the garment design input data; transmitting the fabric making machine instruction data set to a first fabric making machine; forming a first fabric using the first fabric making machine, wherein during the forming step, operation of the first fabric making machine is controlled using the fabric making machine instruction data set to create the first fabric structural unit at a first location within the first fabric and to create the second fabric structural unit at a second location within the first fabric; creating modified garment design input data for the garment design based on the first fabric created in the forming step, wherein the modified garment design input data includes changes to at least one of: a size of the first fabric structure unit in the garment design; a position of the first fabric structure unit in the garment design; a size of the second fabric structure unit in the garment design; a position of the second fabric structure unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first fabric structure unit to the second fabric structure unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first fabric structure unit to another fabric structure unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the second fabric structure unit to another fabric structure unit in the garment design; and a total number of fabric structure units in the garment design; generating a modified fabric making machine instruction data set based on the modified garment design input data; transmitting the modified fabric making machine instruction data set to at least one of the first fabric making machine or a second fabric making machine; forming a second fabric using at least one of the first fabric making machine or the second fabric making machine, wherein during the second fabric forming step, operation of the first fabric making machine and / or the second fabric making machine is controlled using the modified fabric making machine instruction data set to create the second fabric corresponding to the modified garment design input data including the changes; generating the modified garment design input data includes applying rules for the garment design to determine whether the modified garment design input data satisfies the rules; the rules for the garment design include rules to limit or control characteristics of the garment design including at least one of: a size of the first fabric structure unit in the garment design; a position of the first fabric structure unit in the garment design; a size of the second fabric structure unit in the garment design; a position of the second fabric structure unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first fabric structure unit to the second fabric structure unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first fabric structure unit to another fabric structure unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the second fabric structure unit to another fabric structure unit in the garment design; and a total number of fabric structure units in the garment design; The method, wherein the rules for the garment design further include rules for limiting or controlling characteristics of the garment design including at least one of: a distance between two occurrences of the first fabric structure unit in the garment design; a number of needle strokes between two occurrences of the first fabric structure unit in the garment design; a distance between the first fabric structure unit and another fabric structure unit in the garment design; a number of needle strokes between the first fabric structure unit and another fabric structure unit in the garment design; a maximum number of consecutive occurrences of a particular needle stroke in the garment design; and a minimum number of consecutive occurrences of a particular needle stroke in the garment design.

2. receiving garment design input data for a garment design, the input data including data representing a first knit construction unit at a first location in a garment design and data representing a second knit construction unit at a second location in the garment design; generating a knitting machine instruction data set based on the garment design input data; transmitting the knitting machine instruction data set to a first knitting machine; knitting a first garment using the first knitting machine, wherein during the knitting step, operation of the first knitting machine is controlled using the knitting machine instruction dataset to create the first knitted structure unit at a first location within the first garment and to create the second knitted structure unit at a second location within the first garment; creating modified garment design input data for the garment design based on the first garment created in the knitting step, the modified garment design input data including changes to at least one of: a size of the first knit construction unit in the garment design; a position of the first knit construction unit in the garment design; a size of the second knit construction unit in the garment design; a position of the second knit construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knit construction unit to the second knit construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knit construction unit to another knit construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the second knit construction unit to another knit construction unit in the garment design; and a total number of knit construction units in the garment design; generating a modified knitting machine instruction data set based on the modified garment design input data; transmitting the modified knitting machine instruction data set to at least one of the first knitting machine or a second knitting machine; knitting a second garment using at least one of the first knitting machine or the second knitting machine, wherein during knitting the second garment, operation of the first knitting machine and / or the second knitting machine is controlled using the modified knitting machine instruction data set to produce the second garment corresponding to the modified garment design input data including the changes; generating the modified garment design input data includes applying rules for the garment design to determine whether the modified garment design input data satisfies the rules; the rules for the garment design include rules to limit or control characteristics of the garment design including at least one of: a size of the first knitted construction unit in the garment design; a position of the first knitted construction unit in the garment design; a size of the second knitted construction unit in the garment design; a position of the second knitted construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knitted construction unit to the second knitted construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the first knitted construction unit to another knitted construction unit in the garment design; a relative positioning of the second knitted construction unit to another knitted construction unit in the garment design; and a total number of knitted construction units in the garment design; the rules for the garment design further include rules for limiting or controlling characteristics of the garment design including at least one of: a distance between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the garment design; a number of knit stitch actions between two occurrences of the first knit structure unit in the garment design; a distance between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the garment design; a number of knit stitch actions between the first knit structure unit and another knit structure unit in the garment design; a maximum number of consecutive occurrences of a particular needle action in the garment design; and a minimum number of consecutive occurrences of a particular needle action in the garment design.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein creating the modified garment design input data includes applying rules to limit or control at least one of: a total weight of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; a weight of a first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; air permeability of the first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data; and thermal conductivity of the first portion of the garment design based on the modified garment design input data.

4. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a first size and the modified garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a second size different from the first size.

5. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a first standard size, and the modified garment design input data corresponds to a garment of a second standard size that differs from the first standard size by at least one standard size gradation amount.

6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving garment design input data for the garment design comprises receiving garment design data and generating the garment design input data from the garment design data.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the garment design data includes data from a three-dimensional rendering of the garment design.

8. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rules for the garment design include at least one of mandatory rules for providing mandatory requirements, rules based on the structural integrity of the garment for providing structural requirements for the garment, and practice rules for providing manufacturing requirements for a designer or manufacturer.

9. the mandatory rules include at least one rule of preventing needle damage, preventing needle breakage, preventing machine damage, preventing machine breakage, preventing cylinder damage, and preventing cylinder breakage; The rules based on the structural integrity of the garment include rules for the garment to adequately maintain its structure for a desired use or for a desired service life; the practice rules include at least one of bill of material rules for processing data related to the availability of various materials utilized to manufacture the garment, cost estimation rules for processing data related to the cost of manufacturing the garment, and time estimation rules for processing data related to the time required to manufacture the garment; the bill of material rules include comparing the modified garment design input data with the data related to availability of the various materials and determining whether the various materials related to the modified garment design input data are available; the cost estimation rules include: calculating a cost of producing the garment design of the modified garment design input data by comparing the modified garment design input data with the data related to the cost; and determining whether the calculated cost exceeds any predetermined cost threshold; 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the time estimation rules include: comparing the modified garment design input data with the data related to the time to calculate a time required to manufacture the garment design of the modified garment design input data; and determining whether the calculated time exceeds any predetermined time threshold.

Images