Abstract:
Computer-aided design and manufacture software and hardware automate garment and fashion definition and production. Configurable garment includes ornamental element, pattern display, and personal identifier and wireless sensor electronics.

Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA 
     This is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/454,390, originally filed on Apr. 24, 2012, which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/540,954 originally filed on Aug. 13, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/238,336 originally filed on Sep. 25, 2008, which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/027,819 filed on Dec. 29, 2004. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     Invention relates to computer-assisted methods and systems for novel garment design and manufacture, particularly automated using software, databases and related electronic networks and sensors. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Conventional fashion industry employs various creative manual processes to design and produce new clothes. However conventional techniques are limited to the extent that garment design and production processes are not easily customized, time-constrained, and are not easily reconfigurable. For example, customer has to wait at cashier, try various kinds of clothes in a changing room, take a lot of measurements, inaccurately customize the garment, or buy standardized garment to speed-up the purchasing process. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for improved definition and production efficiency by using some electronic automation techniques, for example, to assist prototype design, garment customization, and garment grading. Furthermore to increase customer satisfaction guarantee of manufactured garment, novel computer-aided methods for customers to input their body-profile information and view their appearance with designed garment are presented unobviously herein. 
     SUMMARY 
     Computer-aided design and manufacture software and/or hardware automates garment and fashion definition and production. Configurable garment and fashion system includes ornamental element, pattern display, and personal identifier and wireless sensor electronics, effectively integrating the business world of fashion and consumer electronics. 
     Computer-supported process especially configured for user easily to design reconfigurable apparel, input body-profile information, input assembly and test preferences, receive and give recommendation whether the garment fits the body profile to assist user in making a purchasing decision. Information resulting from the process can be protected and are accessible by pre-determined user. 
     Optionally fabric or garment with integrated flexible information infrastructure and electrode/sensors, methods of representing customer body-profile information in various formats, and methods for assisting a customer to select properly-sized apparel may be used herein. 
     Generally electronic process assists customer directly to design customized garment with help of either human or computer fashion advisor. Thus invention resembles virtual store with a fashion advisor. User can confidently design and purchase garment conveniently. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram representing a simplified configurable garment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a generalized diagram of network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing appliance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram illustrating novel garment and fashion design and manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference is made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention. While the invention is described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited by these preferred embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, various garments, design or manufacturing methods, automated procedures, reconfigurable components, software or database applications, network systems, and electronic or optical circuits have not been described in detail so that aspects of the invention will not be obscured. 
       FIG. 1  is a simplified diagram showing representative configurable garment  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As understood herein, the term “garment” is interpreted and construed broadly to mean any wearable item and/or accessory, such as shirt, pant, jean, slack, shorts, skirt, khaki, glasses, shoes, scarf, jacket, tie, belt, socks, wallet, umbrella, etc. Garment may be knitted, molded, photo-lithographically deposited or constructed using one or more masking or implanting steps or otherwise made using one or more organic, synthetic, conductive, semiconductive or insulated filament, fabric, fibres, polymers, carbon nano-fibers, pentacene, thin-film transistors, semiconductor substrate, etc. 
     Garment  100  comprises one or more active or passive, smart or intelligent, personalizable, tailorable, programmable or configurable electronic, mechanical or optical logic device or finite state machine, gate array, cross-bar, transmission-line, antenna, multiplexer, demultiplexer, modulator, amplifier, analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converter, interconnect, microprocessor, controller, thermostat, thermometer, sensor, transponder, radio-frequency identifier or tag (RFID), accelerometer, piezoelectric detector, transistor, diode, resistor, capacitor, inductor, switch, latch, flip-flop, such as ornament or jewelry  101 , user identifier and/or sensor  102 , input/output pattern display  103 , power source  104  and networking or communication interface  105 . 
     Ornament  101  comprises one or more ornamental or functional electronic device or module incorporated into garment  100 , including music or media player or recorder, global positioning or navigational location system, antenna or wireless transceiver, mobile phone or radio communicator, computer or processor, television or video appliance, alarm or emergency indicator, video or image camera, communication switch or networking connection, or electroluminescent lamp or display. Ornaments  101  may be washable or detachable. 
     Ornaments  101  may enable garment  100  to function as interface to control remotely or programmably various electronic device, e.g., jacket interfacing with light switches or television remote control. For example, ornament  101  may functionally disregard or effectively filter chemical substances or other harmful electromagnetic energy rays that can cause cancer or other disease, thereby reducing risk or cause of bio/chemical terrorism or nuclear threat. 
     Ornament  101  also may be composited to enable garment and fashion  100  to be stain-free, therefore not requiring use of detergent and materially enhance environmental quality. Ornament  101  may also be composited to provide that clothes do not contain disease, and are safe from HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Optionally, ornament  101  may play music, video or other media recording or enable multi-party voice or video communication based on user emotion detected by human-emotion detector effectively integrated in garment  100 . Ornament  101  may be electronically-controlled dispenser or vial for releasing selectively one or more fluids or gases, such as perfume, medicine, food/drink, pheromone, etc. according to user, processor or software instruction. 
     Sensor  102  comprises one or more identifier or sensor device integrated with garment  100 . Identifier uniquely recognizes and identifies particular user with one or more alphanumeric, coded, or signature pattern. Sensor  102  may comprise one or more medical or physiological bio-chemical sensor, temperature or heat sensor, optical or infrared sensor, accelerometer, electromagnetic sensors, human-emotion detector, pollution-rate detector, water condition or quality sensors, motion sensor, microphones or media detector, weight scale, etc. Such medical sensors may measure physical information such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar level, and other vital signs and effectively detect and diagnose diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, etc. 
     Sensor  102  may detect weapons, bombs, or other military equipment particularly for safety-inspection purpose. Sensor  102  can be integrated inconspicuously into garment  100 . Sensor  102  or ornament  101  may provide or effectively resemble ambient intelligence, i.e., invisible, present whenever user needs it, enabled by simple and effortless interaction, or autonomously acting adaptively to user and context. 
     Pattern display  103  comprises graphical or media communication interface, e.g., organic light emitting device (OLED), flexible optical fiber screen or communication fibers coupled or woven into clothes capable of up/downloading data and signals, and providing or displaying graphics such as video, logos, texts, patterns, and images directly onto clothes or surfaces coupled thereto. Based on wireless radio signals or electrical commands, pattern display  103  may change color, images, projections, and patterns using electrical power provided by power source  104 . Pattern display  103  also offers access to network or online services such as internet, video, and e-commerce as well as displays sensor  102 , power source  104  or ornament  101  status or data. 
     For example, sporting clothes monitor heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, respiration rate or other physiological metric during gym workout or exercise for display on pattern display  103 , or pattern display  103  of clothing fitted with global positioning system worn by skiers or mountaineers displays geographic location. Sensor  102  and pattern display  103  may be distributed regularly in grid or other pattern. 
     Power source  104  generates, provides or accesses electrical power for garment  100 , and comprises AC/DC source, electromechanical generator, portable rechargeable battery, fuel cell, environment heat source, mechanical source, light source, or other energy source for providing electrical power. Environmental heat source may be produced by tapping or collecting natural heat given-off by user body; mechanical heat source is produced by transforming mechanical energy of user movement into electrical power; and optical heat source is produced by transforming surrounding light into electrical power. Use of environmental heat source, mechanical heat source or optical heat source as power source  104  reduces regular battery usage, and therefore materially enhance quality of the environment. 
     Garment  100  optionally employs heat sink to reduce heat trapped inside clothes, so that garment  100  has more efficient utilization and conservation of energy resources provided by power source  104 . 
     Networking interface  105  communicates via electromagnetic wireless radio-wave signals or wired interconnected network to provide garment  100  internal and/or external communications with user and database. Flexible or rigid conductive or semi-conductive fibers are woven into garment  100  to transmit/receive signals inside garment  100 . Conductive fibers may be interwoven with material of garment  100 , or added thereto in narrow strips of ribbon or patterned portions that are sewn at user-specified or predefined places. Garment  100  may be made from electro-textile material, e.g., using yarns made of synthetic or metallic fibers for knitting into cotton or polyester. Yarn fibers may be clad with metal, silver, nickel or other metallic or conducting material, and then optionally insulated with polymer or other insulator or dielectric. Conductive fibers are connected to power source  104  to provide circuits as defined herein. 
     Networking interface  105  allows user selectively in real-time to control or program ornament  101 , sensor  102 , pattern display  103 , and power source  104  through user data input devices such as touchpad, voice recognition tool, keypad, etc. Networking interface  105  may couple garment  100  with user interface appliance  300 , assembly source  407  or database  403 . For example, networking interface  105  sends identifier/sensor  102  data, power source  104  status data, or pattern display  103  information to database  403 , and receives electrical commands or other control signals from assembly source  407 . Garment  100  may comply with applicable governmental or regulatory requirement or rule, as proven by testing, quality or other conformation process. 
     For example, garment  100  may be attached or coupled to motorized frames where disabled individuals can wear such garment  100  to help such individuals walk, climb steps, etc. Battery-powered plastic frame attached to garment  100  relies on electrodes attached to garment  100  detecting from skin motor nerve signals emitted by the brain before instructing muscle cells to contract, thereby providing real-time instruction for frame to move synchronously with user. 
     In another example, sensor  102  embedded in garment  100  provides military, security or surveillance functions. Optical fibers and special sensors inside garment  100  may detect bullet wounds and monitor body vital signs during combat or other danger conditions. Sensor  102  embedded in carpets, wallpapers and various kinds of canvas covers additionally detects unrecognized person facial image or voice pattern. 
     Yet in another example, doctors may design, configure or provide customized garment  100  for patients. Sensor  102  printed or provided on fabric allows doctor to monitor patients without having to keep them physically in hospital. Networking interface  105  transmits/receives sensor  102  data with doctor or hospital computer, or sounds alarm if sensor  102  senses patient problem or danger condition. Further sensor  102  applications enable garment worn to medicate or diagnose disease. 
     Effectively cutting or tailoring such electronic cloth according to personalized design size or shape may result in difficulty to make good physical or electrical signal connections between different parts of same garment  100 , and may be solved by manufacturing seamless clothing, to avoid cutting and stitching problem altogether. Preferably security or privacy of personal garment  100  design and manufacturing files and confidential information are maintained. 
       FIG. 2  diagram shows digital communication system interconnecting local or wide-area network accessible devices, hosts, computers, servers, or other processor and/or storage, such as user  201 , memory or storage  203 , design processor  204 , and manufacturing processor  205 . User  201 ,  202  may access or store information stored in storage  203  through network  200 . Design source  204  runs design process as controlled by user  201  and manufacturing source  205  runs manufacturing or testing process locally or globally; there are no limitations on network-access geographic location. 
       FIG. 3  diagram shows user interface appliance  300  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Appliance  300  comprises display device  301 , user device  302 , memory/processor  303 , and networking interface  304 . 
     User interface appliance  300  employs Graphical User Interface (GUI); as understood herein, the term “GUI” is interpreted and construed broadly to mean any graphical, audio, video or other media display or sensing system for communicating digital or analog input and/or output of one or more program or function, e.g., presenting icons or objects, buttons or selections, dialogue boxes or windows, on-screen in two or three dimensions. User interface appliance  300  has program known as user interface appliance  300  program that allows GUI to receive information or profile selection from users  201   202 , display or modify garment design, display actual or virtual 3-D user body profile with or without wearing garment  100 , process, analyze, recommend and store information, and communicate with network  200 . User interface appliance  300  can be accessed anywhere, at store or through internet  200 . 
     Display device  301  comprises electronics display or media communication device having image-displaying region providing visual representation of objects or other relevant garment attributes from user interface appliance  300  program and user interactions or selections with user interface appliance  300  program. Display device  301  preferably comprises command  310 , design template  311 , fabric category  312 , and 3-D virtual body profile  313 . 
     Command  310  comprises icons, buttons and dialogue boxes that represent user communication with user interface appliance  300 . Command  310  is coupled with user tool  302  to display user interaction with user interface appliance  300  program. Through command  310 , user chooses a variety of options when configuring garment  100  definition. As understood herein, the term “garment definition” is interpreted to mean any garment attribute, parameter or property, e.g., design style, fabric category, functional property, etc. 
     Various design options, parameters or features may be selectably combined in same garment  100 , including, but not limited to, motion capture sensor, phosphorescent element, thermo-electric sensor, electro-adhesive element, variable color element, variable shade element, water shedding, bio-monitor sensor, electroluminescent element, sound emitting/capturing element, variable opacity element, video display, force feedback element, optical chameleon element, photoelectric element, computational array, self-repairing element, touch sensitive element, toxin filtering element, voice recognition software, wireless communication device, variable rigidity element, variable shape element, variable reflectivity element, thermal chameleon element, self-cleaning element, etc. 
     User maybe also be enabled to choose pre-configured templates, parameters or customized configuration for work/leisure outfit, dance-club gear, immersive media suit, covert-operations bodysuit, adventure climber, exploration suit, backpack, utility vest, ultra tarpaulin; each application preferably associated with pre-configured garment design, parameter or feature options. 
     User can select or define available garment material or size by interacting with command  310 . User is also guided to design architectural garment by providing or selecting functional property of garment  100 , e.g., choosing garment  100  that transforms into tent, raincoat, massage chair, furniture, mattress, or medical wheelchair. 
     Design template  311  may provide available choices of design template and/or user current selection of design template. As understood herein, the term “design template or style”  311  is interpreted and construed broadly to mean any fashion design element, parameters or clothing application, e.g., shirts style or size, collar design, pocket style or size, neck style, back detail, sleeve detail or length, cuffs, monograms, shirt fit, shirt size, shirt tail, stitching, tie space, etc. 
     Design template may employ one or more adaptive, neural, fuzzy, Bayesian, or other intelligent control or programming method or algorithm to apply or design one or more garment elements or parameters according to one or more predefined or stored user or expert rule sets, preferably tailoring or weighing one or more design factors according to user-specific conditions or preferences. Additionally design template may include or consider personal user objective and/or objective indications, preferences, style, range, degree, socio/political affiliation, e.g., conservative, liberal, moderate, republican, democrat, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, catholic, protestant, jewish, muslim, etc. 
     Fabric category  312  provides choices of fabric category available and/or user current selection of fabric category. As understood herein, the term “fabric category”  312  is interpreted and construed broadly to mean any material category such as patterns, material, color, stripes, solids, checks, texture, etc. 
     Once user control device receives specific command from user, user interface appliance  300  program may combine command  310 , design template  311 , and/or fabric category  312  information into garment definition. User can add further information to garment definition and generate garment test script with aid of verification source  404 . For example, garment may be purchased below price range, or testing process is focused on biomedical sensor functionality. 
     Three-dimensional virtual body profile  313  comprises image-processing device for displaying 3-D replica or simulation model based on body profile information. Receiving command from user, 3-D virtual body profile  313  displays 3-D representation of body profile information with or without being superimposed by designed garment  100 . Three-dimensional virtual body shop  313  is coupled with verification source  407 , thereby enabling 3-D virtual body shop  313  to display replica wearing recommended garment. 
     User device  302  comprises user control device  314  or smart changing room  315 . User control device  314  comprises mouse, joystick, keyboard, touchpad, or speech recognition software allowing user to control user interface appliance  300  program. For example, user moves pointer on screen (controlled by mouse), selects certain objects by pressing buttons on mouse while pointer is pointing thereto, touches or presses objects on display screen  301  to control program, inserts text using keyboard and verifies information using speech-recognition tool. 
     User control device  314  allows user to key-in codes and fetch personalized garment definition to be displayed onto display device  301 . User control device  314  can modify 3-D body representation, such as modifying height and adjusting relative color contrast of image and modify garment property displayed on display device  301 . User who has body profile stored in computer-readable storage devices like flash memory, card, tag or disks may let user control device  314  read information and send to 3-D virtual body profile  313 . 
     Optionally user tool  302  comprises device to obtain person body profile information, smart changing room  315 . Smart changing room  315  comprises fixed or movable cameras distributed at convenient points around room for measuring and/or extrapolating three-dimensional replica of user. Various body profile parameters of body profile information are measured according to image captured. Resulting data is then saved by processor/memory  303  and fed into user interface appliance  300  program, which then transfers such information to 3-D virtual body profile  313 . Three dimensional virtual body profile  313  such uses data to display 3-D replica of person with or without wearing designed garment and fashion  100 . 
     Multiple-angle images are provided to enable system to measure or calculate parameters of user body profile, such as chest size, waist size or hip size. If movable cameras capture continuous pictures, playback of body profile is used to combine animated garment images to provide motion effect. System may require manual assistance to obtain accurate result. Alternately body profile information refers to captured digital image, such as photograph or video. 
     To increase quality of recommendation received, user is encouraged to input more physical information, such as eye colors, eye shape, hair shape or color, skin color, face shape, height, body shape, shoulder line, etc. Users can input their sizes (e.g., collar, waist, hip, yoke, inseam, thigh, skirts length, shorts length, knee length, ankle length, cuff lengths, etc.) or height and/or face structure. User may use manual or electronic method to enter information. 
     Multiple users may access same garment definition or template, however each user may customize or tailor such template according to personal measurements, preferences, style, etc. (e.g., “Megan” customer may prefer feminine youth size 10 in pink or lavender, and “Jared” customer may prefer masculine youth size 8 in blue or green.) If such information is proprietary, then permission or licensing of particular user may be required to proceed. 
     Processor/memory  303  comprises information module for storage and/or retrieval of information about user (such as account information, previous design templates, etc.), allowing user interface appliance  300  to be used by one or more users. Processor/memory  303  may receive information from remote database or storage devices storing library of garment definition. For example, database  403  provides detailed information of saved template required by user, database  403  provides stored body template as requested by user, user requiring specific billing plan may require database to provide detailed explanation of plan and his/her financial information, user requiring regulatory check may require database to provide regulatory information, user requiring that assembly and testing process take place at location require database to provide location information to user. 
     User can easily reconfigure garment  100  design before or after receiving recommendation from verification source  407 . Recommendation from verification source can be displayed by 3-D virtual body shop  313 , spoken by speech tool of user control tool  314 , or displayed by display screen  301 . 
       FIG. 4  flow diagram illustrates garment design and/or manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In definition process, user interface appliance  300  sends garment definition or design file to database  403 , which transfers information to definition source  402 . Garment definition or design file includes garment property or other information specified by user, such as price range, governmental regulation, occupation, etc. User can reset or stop process at any time. 
     Referring to verification process, definition source  402  sends garment definition with other information to verification source  404 . Verification process may be done by one or more fashion and regulatory experts or by computerized garment grading system. Verification source  404  checks regulatory requirements including environmental policy. Verification source  404  optimizes cost of product by selecting appropriate or low-cost garment material or assembly location. Verification source  404  checks whether cost of designed garment  100  meets user requirement. Verification source  404  is reconfigurable computer software that gives recommendation based on fashion trends determined by user input. Verification source  404  as a computerized fashion or expert consultant programmed to comment on user apparel selection acts as fashion advisor and provides fashion style recommendation. Verification source  404  checks whether garment definition meets functionality requirement determined by user. 
     Verification source  404  sends resulting information to database  403 , which sends to user interface appliance  300  for user confirmation. If user requires no additional process  405 , information or design file is sent to assembly source  407 , else  406  proceed back with definition process  402 . 
     Assembly source  407  using design file proceeds with manufacturing process. After manufacturing process is done, manufacturing information is sent to database  403 . Testing source  408  receives piece of garment  100  from assembly source  407  and garment test script from database  403 . Testing source  408  runs test process and sends test result to database  403 , which transfers information to user through user interface appliance  300 . If user requires no additional process  411 , garment sent to user  412 ; else  409  goes back to assembly process  407  or  410  goes back to definition process  402 . 
     Generally computer-assisted method and system automatically or interactively configures or tailors garment or fashion design. Preferably one or more user or subscriber template or definition is completed, modified, accessed or re-used to determine user or user-group garment profile or requirements. Thus in automated manner one or more garment-design file(s) is generated by computer or software program for configuring or reconfiguring a reconfigurable or programmable garment or prototype thereof, preferably according to predefined, select or full portion of the user garment profile. 
     Also reconfigurable garment prototype may be configured according to one or more expert or fashion design template, which is provided in one or more template library including various design templates. Completed user template is accessible remotely through a digital network or Internet using user-secured biometric authorization or garment-design usage license or script. 
     Optionally expert design template is accessible remotely through digital network using a garment-design usage license, such that a user of the reconfigurable garment prototype is financially charged for actual usage of the reconfigurable garment prototype configured according to the expert design template. Expert design template provides celebrity, fashion expert, or other famous designer preferences, definition, style or other fashion look-and-feel uniquely or identifiably pertaining to garment design, composition, presentation, fit or manufacture thereof. Expert design template parameters may be selectively modulated, tuned or balanced against or relative to user template parameters. 
     Reconfigurable garment prototype may include electrically one or more reconfigurable logic circuit that is programmable according to the garment-design file, as well as include one or more sensors for sensing user condition, thus enabling the reconfigurable garment prototype to be reconfigured according to a change in user condition. Additionally reconfigurable garment prototype may include one or more media or communication interface for providing or receiving audio/visual content or signal programmably according to the garment-design file. 
     Preferably garment design file is generated using a software simulation application for modeling the reconfigurable garment prototype virtually according to select portion of the user garment profile. Optionally modified garment-design file is generated for reconfiguring remotely the reconfigurable garment prototype according to a modified user template or a modified expert design template. 
     Foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Various novel embodiments to present endorsement scheme include, for example: digital network security or energy checking in residential, business, educational, or other working system context wherein one or more network-connected participants may endorse electronically in response to certain security-checking proposal according to present novel scheme; entertainment, theatrical, sports, or other broadband or media system context wherein one or more network-connected performer, staff or audience member may endorse electronically in response to certain live interactive proposal according to present novel scheme; and medical or healthcare system context wherein one or more network-connected patient, doctor, nurse or other staff may endorse electronically in response to certain medical diagnosis, interview, or other healthcare dialog according to present novel scheme. 
     The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles and the application of the invention, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in its various embodiments and modifications according to the particular purpose contemplated. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.