Double-Image Overprint Carpet Components for Less Visible Seams
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Solution Overview
Problem
The carpet industry faces challenges in minimizing the appearance of imperfections at seams between carpet sections, particularly when design elements are not perfectly duplicated, leading to visually obtrusive regions that draw attention to mismatches in color or alignment.
Innovation Solution
The development of carpet components with a substrate featuring an unpredictable pattern combined with an overprint design, where the design elements in the overprint are predictable, allowing for alignment along abutting portions to minimize visual imperfections and increase design options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a non-repeating design pattern is printed onto individual carpet components to minimize seam imperfections, then the visibility of seam discontinuities is reduced, but the design complexity and difficulty of maintaining consistency across multiple components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design is segmented into two distinct layers: an unpredictable pattern layer in the carpet substrate and a predictable overprint layer. This segmentation allows each layer to serve a specific function - the substrate provides visual disruption at seams while the overprint maintains design consistency and alignability across multiple carpet components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the carpet component have different design characteristics. The carpet substrate contains an unpredictable, non-repeating pattern that varies across components, while the overprint layer contains a predictable, repeating design that can be precisely aligned. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying different design strategies to different functional requirements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If design elements are duplicated across adjacent carpet components to maintain consistency, then design uniformity is improved, but seam imperfections become more visually obtrusive
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves from a single-dimensional approach (either repeating or non-repeating patterns) to a two-dimensional layered approach. The carpet substrate provides one layer of pattern while the overprint provides a second layer, allowing both uniformity and seam disruption to coexist in different layers that work together to solve the contradiction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If busy, non-regular color patterns are used to visually overwhelm discontinuities at boundaries, then seam visibility is reduced, but customer design choices are limited to non-regular patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The design system becomes dynamic and adaptable through the overprint layer, which can be changed independently of the substrate pattern. This allows customers to select from various overprint designs (geometric, floral, abstract, etc.) while the substrate consistently provides seam disruption, thereby increasing design versatility without sacrificing seam invisibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to carpet components and methods of making the carpet components. In one embodiment, a carpet component is provided. The carpet component includes a carpet substrate having a texture comprising a pattern, wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of adjoining design elements each defining a design and a boundary and wherein the design elements are arranged so that the design of one design element is not predictable from the design of an adjoining design element; and an overprint disposed onto the carpet substrate wherein the overprint comprises a plurality of adjoining design elements each defining a design and a boundary and wherein the design elements are arranged so that the design of at least one design element is predictable from the design of an adjoining design element.