Product Customization System with Layered Optically-Active Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of unified methods for commercial design and manufacturing of layered optically-active surfaces with complex curved forms on commercial products, particularly for interactive application of component-based optical surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A web-based client/server architecture system that allows consumers to customize products with user content using software implemented on a computer, enabling the design and manufacturing of products with complex curved surfaces by applying user-created colors and designs made from layers of material with specific optical qualities, utilizing techniques such as inkjet printing and layered light transport modeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional marking techniques such as inkjet printing are used for custom product surfaces, then customization capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and lack of unified commercial methods worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the customization process into distinct functional modules: a web-based client interface for design input, a server-side processing system for rendering, and a manufacturing interface for production. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system versatility, resolving the contradiction between customization capability and manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal platform that handles multiple product types and customization requirements through a single integrated system. The server-side rendering engine can process various input formats and generate outputs suitable for different manufacturing techniques, providing multi-functionality that reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If layered optically-active surfaces with complex curved forms are manufactured, then product design versatility is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens due to lack of unified commercial methods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary rendering and validation of complex curved surface designs on the server before committing to manufacturing. This preliminary action allows the system to pre-process and optimize the design data, ensuring manufacturability is assessed before production begins, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining design versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server-side rendering engine as an intermediary between the client design input and the manufacturing process. This intermediary translates diverse design inputs into standardized manufacturing formats, bridging the gap between design versatility and manufacturing simplicity by providing a universal translation layer.
3Ease of operation
If consumers can interactively apply designs with various optical effects, then user engagement and product uniqueness are improved, but system complexity and manufacturing coordination worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables consumers to directly create and apply their own designs through an intuitive web interface without requiring manual intervention from manufacturers. Users can independently select optical effects, upload images, and preview results, making the system self-service oriented. This reduces the coordination complexity between user input and manufacturing execution while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex manual coordination mechanisms with an automated server-side rendering system that digitally processes user inputs and generates manufacturing-ready outputs. This substitution of digital automation for manual coordination reduces system complexity while preserving ease of user operation through the web interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A product customization system and method are provided in which a consumer can insert user content, such as images or text, onto a product, such as a skateboard, and then view the customized product before purchasing the customized product.