Aesthetic housing

• US 9,707,719 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Original Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Inventors: Kroner, Matthew Ryan, Hickey, Neil Joseph, Dimatos, John S., Briscella, John Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shechtman, Sean
• Application Number:
  US14/067,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/00 Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/04 Constraint-based CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/20 Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00827 Arrangements for reading an image from an unusual original, e.g. 3-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/82 Elements for improving aerodynamics

Abstract

A variety of techniques are disclosed for customizing a digital model of an aesthetic housing to receive a functional component and an interface component for the functional component.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a selection of a three-dimensional aesthetic housing in a user interface;

receiving a selection of a functional component in the user interface;

identifying an interface component for the functional component;

automatically determining a position for the functional component in a digital model of the aesthetic housing;

automatically determining a second position for the interface component on an exterior wall of the digital model of the aesthetic housing; and

modifying a three-dimensional shape of the digital model of the aesthetic housing to receive the functional component and the interface component, thereby providing a customized model.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a kit including the functional component, the interface component, and a copy of the customized model stored on a computer readable medium.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the customized model to a three-dimensional printer for fabrication.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the functional component includes an integrated circuit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the functional component includes a printed circuit board.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the functional component includes a battery.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface component includes one or more of a button, a switch, a dial, a slider, a connector, a display, and a speaker.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the aesthetic housing includes two or more parts.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the digital model to provide a path within the aesthetic housing to electrically couple the functional component to the interface component.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the digital model to provide one or more mechanical attachment points to secure the functional component with one or more of a clip, a screw, and a bolt.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the digital model to provide one or more mechanical attachment points to secure the interface component with one or more of a clip, a screw, and a bolt.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a manual adjustment of the position of the functional component to a new position in the user interface and conditionally updating the customized model with the new position if the new position satisfies one or more design rules.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a manual adjustment of the second position of the interface component to a new position in the user interface and conditionally updating the customized model with the new position if the new position satisfies one or more design rules.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a user-selected surface treatment for the aesthetic housing and including the user-selected surface treatment in the customized model.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the user-selected surface treatment includes one or more of a logo, text, and a picture.

16. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:

receiving a selection of a three-dimensional aesthetic housing in a user interface;

receiving a selection of a functional component in the user interface;

identifying an interface component for the functional component;

automatically determining a position for the functional component in a digital model of the aesthetic housing;

automatically determining a second position for the interface component on an exterior wall of the digital model of the aesthetic housing; and

modifying a three-dimensional shape of the digital model of the aesthetic housing to receive the functional component and the interface component, thereby providing a customized model.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising code that performs the step of creating a kit including the functional component, the interface component, and a copy of the customized model stored on a computer readable medium.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising code that performs the step of transmitting the customized model to a three-dimensional printer for fabrication.

19. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising code that performs the step of modifying the digital model to provide a path within the aesthetic housing to electrically couple the functional component to the interface component.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising code that performs the step of receiving a user-selected surface treatment for the aesthetic housing and including the user-selected surface treatment in the customized model.