System for making custom prototypes

• US 7,664,563 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Secure3Dp+ Pte. Ltd. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Tegreene, Clarence T., Ferren, Bran, Jung, Edward K. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh B
• Application Number:
  US11/901,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 700 97- 98, 700/118, 700/163, 703/1, 345419-420, 382/154, 264/512, 264/516
• US Class Current: 700/118
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A system for making custom prototypes including devices for making the prototype, logic, software, firmware, hardware, circuitry or other components and responsive to user input.

Claims

1. A method of providing an interactive representation for user, comprising:

providing, in an artificial environment, one or more physical objects visually representative of a first set of design choices;

accepting user selection of one or more virtual objects visually representative of a second set of design choices;

responsive to the user selection of one or more virtual objects visually representative of a second set of design choices, fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices;

positioning the fabricated one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices in the artificial environment;

after positioning the fabricated one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices in the artificial environment, capturing one or more images of the artificial environment from a first position relative to the artificial environment;

accepting user view positioning input with a control system; and

responsive to accepting user view positioning input with the control system, capturing one or more images of the artificial environment from a second position relative to the artificial environment different from the first position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more physical objects visually representative of the first set of design choices includes:

retrieving data representing the one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the first set of design choices; and

rapid prototyping the one or more physical objects according to the retrieved data representing the one or more physical objects visually representative of the first set of design choices.

3. The method of claim 1 further including:

accepting user customization input; and

responsive to accepting user customization input, fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices such that the one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices differ from the one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices according to the user customization input.

4. The method of claim 3 further including:

replacing the fabricated one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices with the fabricated one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices.

5. The method of claim 1 further including:

accepting user object positioning input; and

wherein presenting to the user a virtual representation of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices includes;

presenting to the user a virtual representation of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices in visual locations corresponding to the user object positioning input.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices includes:

retrieving data representing the one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices; and

rapid prototyping one or more additional physical objects according to the retrieved data representing the one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein capturing one or more images of the artificial environment from a second position relative to the artificial environment different from the first position includes moving an image capture device from a first location corresponding to the first position to a second location corresponding to the second position.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the image capture device is a camera.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the camera is a video camera.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first set of design choices correspond to a first set of interior design items and a second set of design choices correspond to a second set of interior design items.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first set of interior design items include at least one of the items in a set including:

furniture, art, decorations, books, apparel, foliage, and lights.

12. A method of providing an interactive representation for user, comprising:

providing in an artificial environment including one or more physical objects visually representative of a first set of design choices;

accepting user selection of one or more virtual objects visually representative of a second set of design choices;

responsive to the user selection of one or more virtual objects visually representative of a second set of design choices, fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices;

positioning the fabricated one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices in the artificial environment;

after positioning the fabricated one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices in the artificial environment, capturing one or more images of the artificial environment from a first position relative to the artificial environment;

accepting user view positioning input with a control system; and

responsive to accepting user view positioning input with the control system, capturing one or more images of the artificial environment from a second position relative to the artificial environment different from the first position.

13. The method of claim 12 further including:

responsive to accepting user selection of one or more virtual objects visually representative of a second set of design choices, presenting to the user a virtual representation of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices.

14. The method of claim 13 further including:

accepting user object positioning input; and

wherein presenting to the user a virtual representation of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices includes;

presenting to the user a virtual representation of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices in visual locations corresponding to the user object positioning input.

15. The method of claim 14 further including:

accepting user customization input; and

responsive to accepting user customization input, customizing one or more of the virtual representations of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein responsive to accepting user customization input, customizing one or more of the virtual representations of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices includes:

before fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more physical objects visually representative of the second set of design choices, customizing one or more of the virtual representations of the selected one or more virtual objects visually representative of the second set of design choices.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein fabricating by rapid prototyping one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the first set of design choices includes:

retrieving data representing the one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the first set of design choices; and

rapid prototyping one or more additional physical objects according to the retrieved data representing the one or more additional physical objects visually representative of the first set of design choices.

18. The method of claim 12 further including:

presenting to a user a visual representation menu; and

wherein accepting user selection of one or more virtual objects visually representative of a second set of design choices includes accepting a selection from the visual representation menu.