Claims for Patent: 8,090,461

Summary for Patent: 8,090,461

Title:	Product customization system and method
Abstract:	A product customization system and method are provided in which a consumer can insert user content, such as images or text, onto a product, such as a skateboard, and then view the customized product before purchasing the customized product.
Inventor(s):	Ohiaeri; Charles (San Francisco, CA), Harvill; Leslie Young (Half Moon Bay, CA), Beaver, III; Robert Irven (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee:	Zazzle.com, Inc. (Redwood City, CA)
Application Number:	12/546,582
Patent Claims:	1. A computer implemented system for designing and producing a customized product having at least one bonding film and at least one receiving film, the system comprising: a user interface portion that generates a user interface so that a design with user content is capable of being applied to an uneven surface of a product wherein the user content comprises one or more of a piece of text, an image, a photograph, a user designed image and a vectored design, the user interface portion also that generates a product description that contains the user content, a color of the product, a material of the product and a finishing of the product; a product renderer portion that generates a visual three dimensional representation of a finished product with the user content based on the product description wherein the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product with the user content is displayed using the user interface portion; a light transport model portion that generates, for a particular uneven surface of the product having a lighting and a view vector, a texture input-light output map for the particular uneven surface of the product; a manufacturing product rendering portion that, based on the product description and the texture input-light output map, renders one or more layers of printing for one or more of a bonding layer and a receiving layer and renders one or more printing instructions to print the one or more of the bonding layer and the receiving layer on a film; and a manufacturing portion that prints the user content onto one or more of the bonding layer and the receiving layer to form one or more bonding layer films and one or more receiving layer films and that applies the design with user content onto the uneven surface of the product using the films to produce a customized product. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing portion ships the customized product to a customer. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing portion generates a reference product with calibration mark-up for the customized product and color and material samples for the customized product; and wherein the system further comprises a reflection portion that, based on the reference product with calibration mark-up and color and material samples for the customized product, generates one or more calibrated color maps and one or more calibrated luminance maps that are fed back to the product renderer portion to improve the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product and one or more calibrated patterns and one or more visible area layouts that are fed back to the manufacturing product rendering portion to improve the one or more layers of printing and one or more printing instructions. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the product is one of a skateboard, a customized globe, a customized baseball bat, and a customized car top. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises one or more web pages. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user interface portion, the product renderer portion, light transport model portion, the manufacturing product rendering portion and the manufacturing portion are associated with a customized product unit and wherein the system further comprises one or more computing devices that are capable of connecting with the customized product unit over a link and wherein each computing device has a browser application executed by a processor of the computing device that is capable of displaying the one or more web pages. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface portion shows one of the transparency and opacity of the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product with the user content. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing portion prints an identifier on one of the bonding layer and the receiving layer that identifies the user content. 9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a tracking portion that tracks the finished products with the user content based on the identifier. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the identifier is one of a visible identifier and a non-visible identifier. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing portion produces a customized product with a design having a predetermined depth formed by the one or more layers of printing. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the customized product further comprises a tool used for mass production wherein the tool has a predetermined depth formed by the one or more layers of printing. 13. A method for designing and producing a customized product, the method comprising: providing a computer based customized product unit; generating, using a user interface portion of the computer based customized product unit, a user interface so that a design with user content is capable of being applied to an uneven surface of a product wherein the user content comprises one or more of a piece of text, an image, a photograph, a user designed image and a vectored design, the user interface portion also generating a product description that contains the user content, a color of the product, a material of the product and a finishing of the product; generating, using a product renderer portion of the computer based customized product unit, a visual three dimensional representation of a finished product with the user content based on the product description wherein the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product with the user content is displayed using the user interface portion; generating, using a light transport model portion of the computer based customized product unit, a texture input-light output map for the particular uneven surface of the product having a lighting and a view vector; rendering, using a manufacturing product rendering portion of the computer based customized product unit, one or more layers of printing for one or more of a bonding layer and a receiving layer based on the product description and the texture input-light output map and rendering one or more printing instructions to print the one or more of the bonding layer and the receiving layer on a film based on the product description and the texture input-light output map; printing, using a manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, the user content onto one or more of the bonding layer and the receiving layer to form one or more bonding layer films and one or more receiving layer films; and applying, using a manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, the design with user content onto the uneven surface of the product using the films to produce a customized product. 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising shipping, using a manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, the customized product to a customer. 15. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating, using the manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, a reference product with calibration mark-up for the customized product and color and material samples for the customized product; and wherein the method further comprises generating, using a reflection portion of the computer based customized product unit, one or more calibrated color maps and one or more calibrated luminance maps, based on the reference product and color and material samples, that are fed back to the product renderer portion to improve the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product and one or more calibrated patterns and one or more visible area layouts, based on the reference product and color and material samples, that are fed back to the manufacturing product rendering portion to improve the one or more layers of printing and one or more printing instructions. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the product is one of a skateboard, a customized globe, a customized baseball bat, and a customized car top. 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the user interface further comprises one or more web pages. 18. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product with the user content further comprises displaying one of the transparency and opacity of the visual three dimensional representation of the finished product with the user content to the user. 19. The method of claim 13 further comprising printing, using the manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, an identifier on one of the bonding layer and the receiving layer that identifies the user content. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising tracking, using a tracking portion of the computer based customized product unit, the finished products with the user content based on the identifier. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifier is one of a visible identifier and a non-visible identifier. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein printing the identifier further comprises one of printing a non-visible identifier using an one of an ink and a dye that have an absorption curve outside of the visible spectrum, printing a non-visible identifier using an identifier encoded in a dot pattern, printing a non-visible identifier that changes a surface reflectance of the layers, printing a non-visible identifier that changes a refractive index of the layers, printing a non-visible identifier as a quarter wave film that induces a change in polarization of light, printing a non-visible identifier that changes a surface magnetic flux of the layers, and printing a non-visible identifier that causes a change in surface electrical capacitance of the layers. 23. The method of claim 13 further comprising producing, using the manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, a customized product with a design having a predetermined depth formed by the one or more layers of printing. 24. The method of claim 13 further comprising forming, using the manufacturing portion of the computer based customized product unit, a tool used for mass production wherein the tool has a predetermined depth formed by the one or more layers of printing.

Details for Patent 8,090,461

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Emergent Biosolutions Canada Inc.	BAT	botulism antitoxin heptavalent (a, b, c, d, e, f, g) - (equine)	Solution	125462	03/22/2013		2028-08-22