Methods and systems for crafting an adhesive workpiece

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, as disclosed herein, may be executed on data processing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to perform various operations. The various operations may include receiving a graphical design and generating a sticker-ready design based on the graphical design. The sticker-ready design may comprise a border cut path that is an outline of a sticker to be cut from a workpiece. Generating the sticker-ready design may be performed in response to a user selecting a 'create-sticker' button displayed on a graphical user interface.

Description

METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CRAFTING AN ADHESIVEWORKPIECETECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to methods and systems for designing and crafting a graphical design, and more particularly relates to a computer-implemented method for generating a sticker-ready graphical design from a graphical design.BACKGROUND

[0002] Making stickers and other adhesive workpieces conventionally requires the user / creator to perform various manual editing steps to prepare a design to be printed and subsequently cut as a sticker. For example, a user may need to manually select paths / contours of the elements of a graphical design and designate which paths / contours are “print” paths and which paths / contours are “cut” paths. Further, the user may need to manually add boundary paths to the design to define a boundary / edge of a sticker. Thus, the process of designing and creating a sticker can be difficult and time-consuming.SUMMARY

[0003] The subject matter of the present disclosure has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available crafting systems. Accordingly, the present disclosure has been developed to provide methods and processes that overcomes many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0004] Disclosed herein, according to various embodiments, a computer-implemented method executed on data processing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to perform various operations. The various operations may include receiving a graphical design and generating a sticker-ready design based on the graphical design. The sticker-ready design may comprise a border cut path that is an outline of a sticker to be cut from a workpiece. Generating the sticker-ready design may be performed in response to a user selecting a ‘create-sticker’ button displayed on a graphical user interface.

[0005] In various embodiments, generating the sticker-ready design comprises prompting a user to select a desired cut-type for the border cut path from a plurality of cuttypes. The plurality of cut-types may consist of only a through-cut and a kiss-cut. In various embodiments, the plurality of cut-types includes a through-cut and a kiss-cut (e.g. and mayinclude other types of cuts). In various embodiments, the plurality of cut-types further comprises a dual-cut which comprises the kiss-cut and a supplemental through-cut. In various embodiments, in response to the desired cut-type selected by the user being the kiss-cut, the operations comprise prompting the user to optionally select a supplemental through-cut. Further, in response to the user selecting the supplemental through-cut, the sticker-ready design comprises a supplemental border cut path that is a supplemental outline of the sticker to be made from the workpiece, according to various embodiments. Still further, the supplemental border cut path may be outwardly offset from the border cut path.

[0006] In various embodiments, the operations comprise prompting the user to edit the sticker-ready design, including editing at least one of the border cut path, the supplemental border cut path, and an offset between the border cut path and the supplemental border cut path. In various embodiments, in response to the user selecting the desired cuttype, generating the sticker-ready design comprises displaying the sticker-ready design on a graphical user interface. In various embodiments, generating the sticker-ready design comprises automatically generating the border cut path without requiring input from the user. Generating the sticker-ready design may include automatically grouping elements of the graphical design together. Generating the sticker-ready design may also include circumscribing the grouped elements of the graphical design with the border cut path. In various embodiments, automatically grouping elements of the graphical design together comprises utilizing non-destructive Boolean processes for elements of the graphical design that overlap and / or bound each other in a virtual canvas window.

[0007] In various embodiments, generating the sticker-ready design comprises determining if the graphical design is valid to be used as the sticker. For example, determining if the graphical design is valid may include identifying if at least a portion of the graphical design is an island that will be at least likely to be liberated from the remaining portions of the graphical design in response to cutting the sticker from the workpiece. In various embodiments, the method may further include sending a printing command to a printer device to print printable aspects of the sticker-ready design on the workpiece. In various embodiments, the method may further include sending fiducial information to the printer device to print fiducials on the workpiece. Still further, the method may include sending a cutting command to a cutting device to cut the border cut path and cuttable aspects of sticker-ready design in the workpiece. In various embodiments, the method includes sending a cutting command to a cutting device to cut the border cut path and cuttable aspectsof sticker-ready design in the workpiece. In various embodiments, the workpiece comprises at least one of sticker-paper and printable vinyl.

[0008] The forgoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated herein otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation of the disclosed embodiments will become more apparent in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein refers to the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way of illustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, other embodiments may be realized and logical changes and adaptations in design and construction may be made in accordance with this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation.

[0010] Disclosed herein, according to various embodiments, are methods and systems for crafting adhesive workpieces. For example, the present disclosure provides various details pertaining to the methods, systems, and / or user interfaces for users to design and craft / make adhesive workpieces (e.g., stickers), according to various embodiments. As described in greater detail below, the methods, systems, and / or user interfaces may enable users to work with a printer and / or an electronic crafting apparatus, such as an electronic cutting machine, to design and make adhesive workpieces, such as stickers. Various steps of the functionality described herein be performed by a processor integrated into an electronic crafting apparatus, a standalone controller unit, and / or software or an application implemented by a computing device of a user (e.g., a computer, a portable electronic device, etc.). The disclosed structures, components, features, assemblies, systems, and methods may have various benefits that overcome various shortcomings of conventional crafting devices. These various structures, components, features, assemblies, systems, and methods, although described herein as pertaining to adhesive workpieces (e.g., stickers) in conjunction with electronic crafting apparatuses, may be utilized and implemented in other machines, industries, applications, etc. That is, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to stickers in conjunction with electronic crafting apparatuses, and thus aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be adapted for performance in a variety of other uses. As such, numerous applications of the present disclosure may be realized.

[0011] In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a sticker creation process. The sticker creation process may be a method implemented by a controller / processor, and may enable users to quickly and easily create designs that can be printed on an adhesive sheet of material (e.g., a sheet of sticker paper) and subsequently cut by an electronic crafting apparatus (e.g., an electronic cutting machine). In various embodiments, the sticker creation process performed by data processing hardware generally includes receiving a graphical design and generating a sticker-ready design based on the graphical design. The generation of the sticker-ready design may include generating a border cut path that is an outline of a sticker to be cut from a workpiece. In various embodiments, as described below, the sticker creation process may also include steps that prompt and / or enable a user to preview, alter, revise, design, and / or otherwise edit a graphical design.

[0012] The ability to visualize a design / graphic is especially advantageous when designing a graphic for cutting on a cutting machine or otherwise forming the graphic on a material with other types of manufacturing machines, such as laser cutters, three-dimensional printers, embossers, milling machine, etc. For instance, it is often vital for the designer to visualize the overall design as it would appear when cut so that the designer can determine whether changes to the design need to be made before cutting, thus saving time and material.

[0013] FIG. 1 provides a system 100 having an example design preparation environment (also referred to as environment) that includes a user 10 using a user device 110 to create a graphical design 202 (also referred to as a unique design 202, a unique graphical design 202, or a design 202). The user device 110 may include data processing hardware 112 and memory hardware 114 in communication with the data processing hardware 112. The memory hardware 114 may store instructions thereon that, when executed on / by the data processing hardware 112, causes the data processing hardware 112 to execute a design generating program 200 (also referred to as designer 200) for creating, editing, and / or receiving the graphical design 202 during the design process. As described in greater detail below, the design generating program may be executed by processing / memory hardware of the user device 110 and / or by data processing hardware of a post-design processing machine 130 and / or by remote process / memory hardware (see below with reference to FIG. 9).

[0014] In various embodiments, the designer 200 may communicate the design 202 to the post-design processing machine 130 for post-design processing operations that may include a printing and / or a converting process (e.g., forming, cutting, printing, etc.) to implement the design on a material. That is, the post-design processing operation(s) may convert the graphical design 202 into a physical product or other tangible medium. Forinstance, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the designer 200 communicates the graphical design 202 to a post-design processing machine 130 configured to implement the received graphical design 202 on a material. The designer 200 may communicate the design 202 to the machine 130 via an indirect connection (e.g., a network 120) or a direct connection (e.g., using a wired or wireless connection as shown by the dotted line of FIG. 1). In the example shown, the post-design processing machine 130 includes a cutting machine configured to cut the unique design 202 from a workpiece (e.g., a sheet of adhesive material, such as sticker paper). The post-design processing machine 130 (or multiple machines) may be capable of performing, without limitation, one or more of the following actions on a material: electronic cutting; laser cutting; cutting; milling; embossing; stitching; heat-pressing; printing; drawing; or three-dimensional printing.

[0015] The user device 110 may correspond to any computing device associated with the user 10 and capable of executing the design generating program 200 (i.e., the designer 200) to generate the unique design 202. Some examples of user devices 110 include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, etc. In some examples, the design generating program 200 executes on the post-design processing machine 130. Here, the designer 200 may refer to a software application hosted on the user device 110 or some portion of a software application hosted on the user device 110. For instance, the designer 200 may include a module within larger graphics editor software. Additionally or alternatively, the designer 200 may be a proprietary application or a portion of a proprietary application. For instance, the designer 200 may include a proprietary application specific to the post-design processing machine 130. In some implementations, the designer 200 runs on the post-design processing machine 130.

[0016] The designer 200 may be generally configured to execute the sticker creation process in addition to performing design functions, such as layout, editing, formatting, importing / exporting features (e.g., images, shapes, text, etc.), etc. In some implementations, the designer 200 is configured to display on a screen / di splay 116 in communication with the data processing hardware 112 that includes a graphical user interface 210 that enables the user 10 to interact with the designer 200 to perform design functions. Here, the user 10 may interact with the graphical user interface 210 on the screen 116 of the device 110 as the data processing hardware 112 of the device 110 executes the designer 200.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, the graphical user interface 210 has windows 212, 212a-d including a virtual canvas window 212a (FIGS. 3-6B) that the user 10 may interact with via touch, stylus, mouse / cursor, gesture, and / or speech. The virtual canvas window 212a may beconfigured to present one or more selected contours 205 to be incorporated into the unique design 202. As will become apparent, the virtual canvas window 212a virtually represents a sheet of material to provide a virtual canvas to layout and / or build the unique design 202 to be formed from the sheet of material, according to various implementations. One or more of the windows 212 may contain selectable icons 214, 214a-k that the user 10 may select to facilitate the creation or the modification of a design 202. Each icon 214 may correspond to a particular function depending on the window 212 where the particular icon 214 is located in the graphical user interface 210. The graphical user interface 210 may also have a content type selection window 212b including one or more icons 214d-f each associated with a respective content object type. For instance, photo icon 214d is associated with a content object type corresponding to photos, shape icon 214e is associated with a content object type corresponding to shapes, and text icon 214f is associated with a content object type corresponding to textual characters (e.g., letters, numbers, and / or symbols).

[0018] FIG. 2 also shows the graphical user interface 210 having additional windows 212c, 212d that allow the user 10 to add or to modify / manipulate content displayed in the virtual canvas window 212a or to perform various commands related to the design generating program (i.e., the designer) 200. For instance, the graphical user interface 210 may include a command window 212c providing various commands that govern functions of the designer, such as an accept command to ensure that a user 10 wants to perform a particular action or function selected. Here, the user 10 may select a “done” icon 214c in the command window 212c to provide the accept command. The command window 212c may further include cancel and edit icons 214a, 214b that permit the user to cancel a particular selection and edit a graphical design 202. By having command icons 214, the user interface 210 may navigate between windows 212 or know when functionality related to a particular window 212 is complete (e.g., to return the user 10 to the canvas window 212a).

[0019] In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 3, the sticker creation process, also referred to herein as a sticker formation process, may be initiated in response to a user selecting a create-sticker button 320 displayed on a graphical user interface 310. FIG. 3 also depicts an exemplary graphical design 302 from which the user would like to make a sticker. In conventional design programs, the user would need to perform various manual editing steps in order to prepare the graphical design 302 to be printed and subsequently cut as a sticker. The sticker creation process disclosed herein is generally configured to convert the graphical design 302 into a sticker-ready design 303 (e.g., see FIGS. 6, 7, and 8).

[0020] In various embodiments, the sticker-ready design generated by the sticker creation process includes a border cut path 305 that is an outline of a sticker to be cut from a workpiece. Said differently, the sticker creation process may include, in response to the user selecting a button in a virtual canvas window, determining where the outline for the sticker should be and / or generating the border cut path 305 that circumscribes the one or more elements of the grouping. That is, if a user were using a conventional designing program, they may need to manually select paths / contours of the elements of the graphical design that are “print” paths and which paths / contours are “cut” paths, but the sticker creation process may, in response to the user selecting to commence the sticker creation process, include automatically generating the border cut path 305 without requiring further input from the user (though further input / editing may be prompted). In various embodiments, the step of generating the sticker-ready design 303 may include automatically grouping various elements / paths / contours of the graphical design together and / or may include automatically generating the border cut path 305. Accordingly, the sticker creation method may include performing a path / contour classification process to determine the internal paths / contours are the paths that are to be printed, as described in greater detail below.

[0021] In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 4, graphical user interface 310 may include a “create- sticker” button 320, and in response to the user selecting said button (which may include merely hovering over the button), the sticker creation process may include prompting the user to select a desired cut-type for the border cut path. For example, a ‘cut-type’ window 325 may be displayed on the graphical user interface 310 to prompt the user to select one or more options pertaining to the sticker creation process. That is, the process of generating the sticker-ready design may include prompting the user (e.g., displaying options) to select a desired cut-type for the border cut path from a plurality of cuttypes. In various embodiments, the plurality of cut-types includes a through-cut (also referred to herein as a die cut) and a kiss cut. In various embodiments, those two options may be the only options provided by the sticker creation process. In various embodiments, the ‘cut-type’ window 325 may further include a few details describing and distinguishing these cut-types. The difference between cut-types is apparent when one considers the type of workpiece / material that stickers are made from. That is, a sticker sheet generally includes a rear liner and a printable material having an adhesive layer, and the through-cut (e.g., a die cut) cuts all the way through both materials while a kiss cut only cuts through the printable adhesive layer, leaving the underlying liner intact. In various embodiments, additional options may be presented / displayed for the user to select from. For example, the plurality ofcut-types may further include a dual-cut, which may include a kiss-cut and a supplemental through-cut, as described in greater detail below.

[0022] In various embodiments, and with momentary reference to FIG. 8, in response to the desired cut-type selected by the user being the kiss-cut, the sticker creation process may include prompting the user to optionally select a supplemental through-cut (e.g., “die-cut edge option”). This option may be prompted to a user by displaying a second window 328 (e.g., an options window) after the user selected the ‘cut-type’ from the initial ‘cut-type’ window 325. In response to the user selecting the supplemental through-cut, the sticker creation process may include generating a supplemental border cut path that is a supplemental outline of the sticker to be made from the workpiece. Said differently, the supplemental through-cut may be an additional border / edge that circumscribes the border cut path 305. This additional / supplemental border enables liberation of the sticker from the sheet of workpiece material, and the region between the through-cut edge and the kiss-cut internal border (i.e., the border cut path / outline) provides an easy-peel border (which facilitates a user’s ability to peel the printable adhesive sticker from the liner). This supplemental border cut path may be generated to be outwardly offset from the border cut path 305. The supplemental border cut path may be offset but have the same general shape as the border cut path 305, or the supplemental border cut path may have an entirely different shape (e.g., a rectangle, a circle, etc.). In various embodiments, the sticker creation process may include prompting the user to choose whether the supplemental border cut path matches the shape of the border cut path or whether the supplemental border cut path is a new shape (and may include prompting the user to select the new shape of the supplemental border cut path).

[0023] In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 5, the sticker creation process further includes prompting and / or enabling the user to edit the sticker-ready design. For example, the sticker creation process may include prompting the user to select the properties (e.g., color, thickness, weight) of the border cut path 305. For example, after prompting the user to select the cut-type (e.g., from the ‘cut-type’ window 325), the sticker creation process may include displaying another window (e.g., an options window 326) that prompts the user to make additional preference selections regarding the sticker ready design. This editing prompt may include prompting the user to edit one or more properties of at least one of the border cut path, the supplemental border cut path, an offset between the border cut path and the supplemental border cut path, etc. In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 6, the sticker creation method may further include prompting the user to select whether any interior elements of the graphical design should be cut. The default setting in this regardmay be that no internal cuts are made. That is, the step of generating the sticker-ready design may include, as mentioned above, determining which paths / contours are internal paths / contours, and thereby marking such paths / contours as print paths instead of cut paths.

[0024] In various embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 7, the sticker creation process may include prompting the user to selectively apply one, multiple, or all of the prompted settings. That is, the method may include re-generating the sticker-ready design based on prompted editing. In various embodiments, generating (or re-generating) the stickerready design includes displaying the sticker-ready design 303 on a graphical user interface (FIG. 7). In various embodiments, the sticker creation process may further include selectively changing the “create-sticker” button 320 in the graphical user interface to an “edit sticker” button 321 (FIG. 7). In response to the user selecting the “edit-sticker” button, the sticker creation process may include prompting the user to change one or more of the aforementioned properties, and / or may prompt the user to undo / cancel the creation of the sticker-ready design, which, if selected, would revert the sticker-ready design back to the graphical design (i.e., roll-back the generation of the border cut path and / or other settings). This prompting may be achieved via displaying an ‘edit sticker’ window 327 in the graphical user interface 310.

[0025] In various embodiments, the sticker creation process may include performing a path classification process to analyze the elements of the graphical design and classifying the elements of the design into groupings (e.g., internal print paths or the external border cut paths). This step may include dynamically grouping the elements and offsets of the design, including parametrically storing the components of the operations. In various embodiments, automatically grouping elements of the graphical design together comprises utilizing nondestructive Boolean processes / operations for elements of the graphical design that overlap and / or bound each other in a virtual canvas window. That is, the user may select the relative position and size of various design elements (shapes, images, paths, etc.) in the virtual canvas window that cumulatively constitute the graphical design, and in response to the user commencing generation of the sticker-ready design, the data processing hardware may be configured to analyze the multiple elements of the graphical design to group and classify the elements based on their positions relative to each other and relative to the outermost footprint of the conglomeration of elements. Accordingly, generating the border cut path may include circumscribing the amalgamation of elements / features with the border cut path, and / or selecting the outward most elements / features of the graphical design to be the border cut path.

[0026] In various embodiments, the sticker creation process may include determining if the design is valid to be used as a sticker. For example, the method may include identifying at least a portion of the graphical design that is an island (i.e., a portion of the design that will be at least likely to be liberated from the remaining portions of the graphical design in response to cutting the sticker from the workpiece). In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides controller / processor methods (e.g., an island detection method) for determining if a shape or design to be cut into a workpiece by an electronic crafting apparatus has “island” sections. As used herein, the term “island sections” refers to sections of a shape or design, to be cut into a workpiece, that would be liberated (or at least substantially likely to be liberated) from a retained (e.g., bulk) portion of the workpiece if said shape or design were to be cut into the workpiece (e.g., by an electronic crafting apparatus). Said differently, the disclosed method comprises analyzing, by a processor, a desired shape or design to determine if the desired shape or design will result in island sections. In response to determining that a desired shape or design will result in island sections, the method may include notifying the user of the island sections. Notifying the user may include indicating to the user which sections of the shape or design will be detached / liberated (e.g., highlighting the island sections) and / or generating a preview of the workpiece showing the island sections removed, according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, the method may include providing suggestions or revisions to the shape or design to prevent the formation of island sections.

[0027] Even if the shape or design does not have island sections, the method may include determining if a section or area of the shape or design is “almost” an island. That is, if a certain portion of the design is only connected to the stabilized / retained portion of the workpiece via a small connecting region, the certain portion may still be susceptible to liberation and / or detachment, and thus the method may include flagging the certain portion as an island section (or may at least include indicating to the user that the certain portion is susceptible to liberation).

[0028] The sticker creation process may include sending a printing command to a printer device to print the printable aspects (e.g., the print paths) of the sticker-ready design on the workpiece. In various embodiments, the process may further include sending fiducial information to the printer device to print print-then-cut fiducials on the workpiece (e.g., the sticker sheet). In various embodiments, the method may include sending a cutting command to a cutting device to cut the border cut path and any other cuttable aspects (cut paths) of the sticker-ready design in the workpiece. The sending of the cutting command may be inresponse to the user confirming the printing command has been successfully sent and executed by the printing device.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an example computing device 900 that may be used to implement the systems (e.g., the designer 200) and methods described in this document. The disclosed method may be performed by a computing device. That is, a computing device may be used to implement the systems and methods described in this document. The components shown in FIG. 9, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of the inventions described and / or claimed in this document. The computing device 900 is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other appropriate computers. The components shown here, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of the inventions described and / or claimed in this document.

[0030] The computing device 900 includes a processor 910 (e.g., data processing hardware), memory 920 (e.g., memory hardware), a storage device 930, a high-speed interface / controller 940 connecting to the memory 920 and high-speed expansion ports 950, and a low-speed interface / controller 960 connecting to a low-speed bus 970 and a storage device 930. Each of the components 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, and 960, are interconnected using various busses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate. The data processing hardware 910 and the memory hardware 920 may reside on the user device 110, a remote server (e.g., cloud computing environment), the post-design processing machine 130, or some combination thereof. The processor 910 can process instructions for execution within the computing device 900, including instructions stored in the memory 920 or on the storage device 930 to display graphical information for a graphical user interface (GUI) (e.g., the user interface 210) on an external input / output device (e.g., the user device 110), such as display 980 coupled to high-speed interface 940. In other implementations, multiple processors and / or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing devices 900 may be connected, with each device providing portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of blade servers, or a multi -processor system).

[0031] The memory 920 stores information non-transitorily within the computing device 900. The memory 920 may be a computer-readable medium, a volatile memory unit(s), or non-volatile memory unit(s). The non-transitory memory 920 may be physicaldevices used to store programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) on a temporary or permanent basis for use by the computing device 900. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware, such as boot programs). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM) as well as disks or tapes.

[0032] The storage device 930 is capable of providing mass storage for the computing device 900. In some implementations, the storage device 930 is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device 930 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area network or other configurations. In additional implementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 920, the storage device 930, or memory on processor 910.

[0033] The high-speed controller 940 manages bandwidth-intensive operations for the computing device 900, while the low-speed controller 960 manages lower bandwidthintensive operations. Such allocation of duties is exemplary only. In some implementations, the high-speed controller 940 is coupled to the memory 920, the display 980 (e.g., through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to the high-speed expansion ports 950, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In some implementations, the low-speed controller 960 is coupled to the storage device 930 and a low-speed expansion port 990. The low-speed expansion port 990, which may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet), may be coupled to one or more input / output devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a network adapter.

[0034] The computing device 900 may be implemented in a number of different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a standard server 900a or multiple times in a group of such servers 900a, as a laptop computer 900b, as part of a rackserver system 900c, as the cutting machine 130 (or other post-design processing machine), or as the user device 110.

[0035] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be realized in digital electronic and / or optical circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0036] These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming language, and / or in assembly / machine language. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any computer program product, non-transitory computer readable medium, apparatus and / or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0037] A software application (i.e., a software resource) may refer to computer software that causes a computing device to perform a task. In some examples, a software application may be referred to as an “application,” an “app,” or a “program.” Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0038] The non-transitory memory may be physical devices used to store programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) on a temporary or permanent basis for use by a computing device. The non-transitory memory may be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware, such as boot programs). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM) as well as disks or tapes.

[0039] The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random-access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0040] To provide for interaction with a user 10, one or more aspects of the disclosure can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or touch screen (e.g., the screen 116 of the user device 110) for displaying information to the user and optionally a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. In addition, a computer can interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is used by the user; for example, bysending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.

[0041] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosure.

[0042] Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all the features and advantages that may be realized with the present disclosure should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0043] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the subject matter of the present application may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the disclosure. Further, in some instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the subject matter of the present disclosure. No claim element is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”

[0044] As used herein, the terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to” unless expressly specified otherwise. Accordingly, the terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive and / or mutually inclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0045] Further, in the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “various embodiments,” “one example,” “an example,” “some examples,” “various examples,” “one implementation,” “an implementation,” “some implementations,” “various implementations,” “one aspect,” “an aspect,” “some aspects,” “various aspects,” etc., indicate that the embodiment, example, implementation, and / or aspect described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment, example, implementation, and / or aspect may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment, example, implementation, or aspect. Thus, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, example, implementation, and / or aspect, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, examples, implementations, and / or aspects, whether or not explicitly described. Absent an express correlation to indicate otherwise, features, structure, components, characteristics, and / or functionality may be associated with one or more embodiments, examples, implementations, and / or aspects of the present disclosure. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art how to implement the disclosure in alternative configurations.

[0046] The scope of the disclosure is to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” It is to be understood that unless specifically stated otherwise, references to “a,” “an,” and / or “the” may include one or more than one and that reference to an item in the singular may also include the item in the plural. Further, the term “plurality” can be defined as “at least two.” As used herein, the phrase “at least one of’, when used with a list of items, means different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used and only one of the items in the list may be needed. The item may be a particular object, thing, or category. Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, and C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C. In some cases, “at least one of item A, item B, and item C” may mean, for example, without limitation, two of item A, one of item B, and ten of item C; four of item B and seven of item C; or some other suitable combination.

[0047] Unless otherwise indicated, the terms "first," "second," etc. are used herein merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal, positional, or hierarchical requirements on the items to which these terms refer. Moreover, reference to, e.g., a “second” item does not require or preclude the existence of, e.g., a “first” or lower-numbered item, and / or, e.g., a “third” or higher-numbered item.

[0048] All ranges and ratio limits disclosed herein may be combined. Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are “about” or “approximately” the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise defined herein. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. The stated values include at least the variation to be expected in a suitable manufacturing or production process, and may include values that are within 5%, within 1%, within 0.1%, or within 0.01% of a stated value.

[0049] Different cross-hatching may be used throughout the figures to denote different parts but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials. Surface shading lines may be used throughout the figures to denote different parts or areas but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials. In some cases, reference coordinates may be specific to each figure. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system.

[0050] Any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and / or any other possible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact. In the above description, certain terms may be used such as "up," "down," "upper," "lower," "horizontal," "vertical," "left," "right," and the like. These terms are used, where applicable, to provide some clarity of description when dealing with relative relationships. But, these terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions, and / or orientations. For example, with respect to an object, an "upper" surface can become a "lower" surface simply by turning the object over. Nevertheless, it is still the same object.

[0051] Additionally, instances in this specification where one element is “coupled” to another element can include direct and indirect coupling. Direct coupling can be defined asone element coupled to and in some contact with another element. Indirect coupling can be defined as coupling between two elements not in direct contact with each other, but having one or more additional elements between the coupled elements. Further, as used herein, securing one element to another element can include direct securing and indirect securing. Additionally, as used herein, “adjacent” does not necessarily denote contact. For example, one element can be adjacent another element without being in contact with that element.

[0052] The schematic flow chart diagrams included herein are generally set forth as logical flow chart diagrams. As such, the depicted order and labeled steps are indicative of one or more embodiments of the presented method. The steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Elements and steps in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more steps, or portions thereof, of the illustrated method.

[0053] Additionally, the format and symbols employed are provided to explain the logical steps of the method and are understood not to limit the scope of the method. Although various arrow types and line types may be employed in the flow chart diagrams, they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding method. Indeed, some arrows or other connectors may be used to indicate only the logical flow of the method. For instance, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of unspecified duration between enumerated steps of the depicted method. Additionally, the order in which a particular method occurs may or may not strictly adhere to the order of the corresponding steps shown. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims.

[0054] The subject matter of the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method executed on data processing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising: receiving a graphical design; and generating a sticker-ready design based on the graphical design; wherein the sticker-ready design comprises a border cut path that is an outline of a sticker to be cut from a workpiece.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the sticker-ready design is performed in response to a user selecting a create-sticker button displayed on a graphical user interface.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the sticker-ready design comprises prompting a user to select a desired cut-type for the border cut path from a plurality of cut-types.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of cut-types consists of a through-cut and a kiss-cut.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of cut-types comprises a through-cut and a kiss-cut.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of cut-types further comprises a dual-cut which comprises the kiss-cut and a supplemental through-cut.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein: in response to the desired cut-type selected by the user being the kiss-cut, the operations comprise prompting the user to optionally select a supplemental through-cut; in response to the user selecting the supplemental through-cut, the sticker-ready design comprises a supplemental border cut path that is a supplemental outline of the sticker to be made from the workpiece; and the supplemental border cut path is outwardly offset from the border cut path.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise prompting the user to edit the sticker-ready design, including editing at least one of the border cut path, the supplemental border cut path, and an offset between the border cut path and the supplemental border cut path.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein, in response to the user selecting the desired cut-type, generating the sticker-ready design comprises displaying the sticker-ready design on a graphical user interface.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the sticker-ready design comprises automatically generating the border cut path without requiring input from the user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein generating the sticker-ready design comprises automatically grouping elements of the graphical design together.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating the sticker-ready design further comprises circumscribing the grouped elements of the graphical design with the border cut path.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein automatically grouping elements of the graphical design together comprises utilizing non-destructive Boolean processes for elements of the graphical design that overlap and / or bound each other in a virtual canvas window.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the sticker-ready design comprises determining if the graphical design is valid to be used as the sticker.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein determining if the graphical design is valid comprises identifying if at least a portion of the graphical design is an island that will be at least likely to be liberated from the remaining portions of the graphical design in response to cutting the sticker from the workpiece.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending a printing command to a printer device to print printable aspects of the sticker-ready design on the workpiece.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising sending fiducial information to the printer device to print fiducials on the workpiece.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising sending a cutting command to a cutting device to cut the border cut path and cuttable aspects of sticker-ready design in the workpiece.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending a cutting command to a cutting device to cut the border cut path and cuttable aspects of sticker-ready design in the workpiece.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the workpiece comprises at least one of sticker-paper and printable vinyl.

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