System for making custom prototypes

• US 20090076642A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• 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., Jung, Edward K.Y., Ferren, Bran
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/117
• 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

1-75. -75. (canceled)

76. 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.

77. The method of claim 76 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.

78. The method of claim 76 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.

79. The method of claim 78 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.

80. The method of claim 76 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.

81. The method of claim 78 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.

82. The method of claim 76 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.

83. The method of claim 82 wherein the image capture device is a camera.

84. The method of claim 83 wherein the camera is a video camera.

85. The method of claim 84 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.

86. The method of claim 85 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.

87. 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.

88. The method of claim 87 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.

89. The method of claim 88 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.

90. The method of claim 89 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.

91. The method of claim 90 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

92. The method of claim 87 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.

93. The method of claim 87 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.

94. An apparatus, comprising:

control electronics including a memory containing a plurality of data sets representing design items;

a user interface coupled to the control electronics and operative to select one or more of the data sets representing design items and operative to receive user view selections;

a rapid prototyping device coupled to the control electronics and responsive to the selected one or more data sets representing design items to produce physical items;

a positioning mechanism operable to accept the produced physical items from the rapid prototyping device and to position the produced physical items in a field; and

an image capture device responsive to the received user view selections electronics to selectively image at least a portion of the field corresponding to the received user view selection.

95. The apparatus of claim 94 wherein the image capture device includes a camera.

96. The apparatus of claim 94 wherein the rapid prototyping device is operable to produce physical items including a magnetically responsive material and wherein the positioning mechanism includes an electromagnet.

97. The apparatus of claim 94 further including a display positioned for viewing by a user and operable to present an image corresponding to the portion of the field corresponding to the received user view selection.

98. The apparatus of claim 97 further including display electronics operable to superimpose on the image corresponding to portion of the field corresponding to the received fewer selection a virtual image portion.

99. The apparatus of claim 98 wherein the display electronics includes a holographic projector.

100. The apparatus of claim 94 wherein the image capture device responsive to the received user view selections electronics to selectively image at least a portion of the field corresponding to the received user view selection is operable to selectively image of the at least a portion of the field from a plurality of orientations.