Process for dying material to match a predetermined color

• US 6,519,038 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jerold Kritchman
• Original Assignee: Jerold Kritchman
• Inventors: Kritchman, Jerold
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, F. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Punnoose, Roy M
• Application Number:
  US09/702,269
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 356/425, 356/402, 356/405, 602/58, 604/304
• US Class Current: 356/425
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching

Abstract

The instant invention is a process for dying a-non-skin material to match an individual'"'"'s skin tone. The skin is scanned by any color measuring device which digitalizes the color value and imputes that value into a computer based software program. The software program compares the individual'"'"'s color value to a-digitalized predetermined library of colorants and a-digitalized predetermined library of non-skin materials. The program considers such things as the properties of the non-skin material to-determine a colorant mix. The colorant mix consists of the particular colorants needed and the quantity of each colorant needed to formulate a color match. The data for the color match is transferred to a computer controlled pumping mixing system which produces the amount of color match needed. The non-skin material is dyed and dried. To ensure that the dyed non-skin material matches the individual'"'"'s skin tone, the dried non-skin material is then scanned by the color measurement device, given a non-skin material color value, digitalized, and imputed into the software program. The digital non-skin material color value is compared to the individual'"'"'s color value. If the two values are within an acceptable predetermined range, then the dyed product is finished, if not the dyed product is rejected.

Claims

1. A process for dying a material to match a chosen skin tone color comprising;

scanning a chosen skin tone color to retrieve a value therefore;

assigning a digital value to said retrieved value;

inputting said digital value into a computer based software program wherein said digital value is assigned a color value;

comparing said color value to a predetermined library of colorant values and predetermined library of material values to determine a colorant mix;

formulating a color match from said colorant mix;

transferring data relating to said color match to a computer controlled pumping mixing system;

producing an amount needed of said color match;

dying said material with said amount needed of said color match;

drying said dyed material;

scanning said dyed material to determine dyed material color value and;

comparing said dyed material color value with said skin tone color value to determine if any variance is within a predetermined statistical range.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said assigning a color value comprises;

scanning the chosen color twice,

retrieving two values,

digitalizing said two values;

inputting said two digital values into said computer software program;

determining if said two digital values are within an acceptable predetermined statistical range;

if within said acceptable predetermined statistical range then averaging said two digital values to determine said color value;

if not within said acceptable predetermined statistical range then doing a third scan, retrieving a third value, digitalizing said third value, inputting said third digital value into said computer;

determining the closest two values among said two digital values and said third digital value;

averaging said two closest values to determine said color value.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said predetermined statistical range is a plus or minus five percent.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said chosen color is an individual'"'"'s skin tone.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said retrieved value is obtained by scanning with an optical measurement.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said optical measurement is a spectrophotometer.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein said software program includes a color matching algorithm.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein said colorant library is comprised of digitalized data for a color range of inks and dyes.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein said material library is digitalized data for a range of materials comprising elastic,plastic, latex, textiles, rubber, and velcro.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein said colorant-mix contains the determined colorants and determined quantity said determined colorants.

11. A process for dying a non-skin material to match an individual'"'"'s skin tone comprising;

scanning said individual'"'"'s skin to retrieve a color value therefore;

assigning a digital color value to said retrieved color value;

inputting said digital color value into a computer based software program wherein said digital color value is assigned an individual color value;

comparing said individual color value to a predetermined library of colorant values and predetermined library of non-skin material values to determine a colorant mix;

formulating a color match from said colorant mix;

transferring data relating to said color match to a computer controlled pumping mixing system;

producing an amount needed of said color match;

dying said non--skin material with said amount needed of said color match;

drying said dyed non-skin material;

scanning said dyed non-skin material to determine dyed non-skin material color value and;

comparing said dyed non-skin material color value with said skin color value to determine if any variance is within a predetermined statistical range.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein said assigning an individual color value comprises;

scanning the individual'"'"'s skin twice,

retrieving two color values,

digitalizing said two color values;

inputting said two digital color values into said computer software program;

determining if said two digital color values are within an acceptable predetermined statistical range;

if within said acceptable predetermined statistical range then averaging said two digital color values to determine said individual color value;

if not within said acceptable predetermined statistical range then doing a third scan, retrieving a third color value, digitalizing said third color value, inputting said third digital color value into said computer software program;

determining the closest two values among said two digital color values and said third digital color value;

averaging said two closest values to determine said individual color value.

13. The process of claims 12 wherein said predetermined statistical range is a plus or minus five percent.

14. The process of claim 11 wherein said retrieved color value is obtained by scanning with an optical measurement.

15. The process of claim 11 wherein said optical measurement is a spectrophotometer.

16. The process of claim 11 wherein said colorant library is comprised of digitalized data for a color range of inks and dyes.

17. The process of claim 11 wherein said non-skin material library is digitalized data for range of non-skin materials comprising elastic, plastic, latex, textiles, rubber, and velcro.

18. The process of claim 11 wherein said colorant mix contains the determined colorants and determined quantity of said determined colorants.