WO2001025824A2 - A scanned modulated laser for processing material surfaces - Google Patents
A scanned modulated laser for processing material surfaces Download PDFInfo
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- WO2001025824A2 WO2001025824A2 PCT/US2000/026726 US0026726W WO0125824A2 WO 2001025824 A2 WO2001025824 A2 WO 2001025824A2 US 0026726 W US0026726 W US 0026726W WO 0125824 A2 WO0125824 A2 WO 0125824A2
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Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06B—TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS BY LIQUIDS, GASES OR VAPOURS
- D06B11/00—Treatment of selected parts of textile materials, e.g. partial dyeing
- D06B11/0093—Treatments carried out during or after a regular application of treating materials, in order to get differentiated effects on the textile material
- D06B11/0096—Treatments carried out during or after a regular application of treating materials, in order to get differentiated effects on the textile material to get a faded look
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06C—FINISHING, DRESSING, TENTERING OR STRETCHING TEXTILE FABRICS
- D06C23/00—Making patterns or designs on fabrics
- D06C23/02—Making patterns or designs on fabrics by singeing, teasing, shearing, etching or brushing
Abstract
Description
MATERIAL SURFACE PROCESSING WITH A LASER THAT HAS A SCAN MODULATED EFFECTIVE POWER TO ACHIEVE MULTIPLE WORN LOOKS
Cross Reference To Related Applications
This application claims the benefit of the U.S.
Provisional Application No. 60/157,904, filed on
October 5, 1999.
Background Denim and other material garments have often been
processed to make them look worn. Consumers have shown
a desire to purchase broken-in garments.
Currently available techniques of processing such
garments include mechanical sandblasting with sand or
other abrasive; hand, mechanical, or robotic rubbing,
and others. The effects may include local abrasion
which is a wear pattern from below the waist to below
the knee section. Another effect is global abrasion,
which describes a wear pattern from below the waist to the cuff. "Whiskers" are a term which describes the
wear that occurs along the creases and hem of the
article during wear. Yet another worn look is a
rectangular area marked on the rear pocket of the jean,
which simulates the worn look caused from carrying a
wallet in the back pocket. Yet another worn look is
referred to as "frayed", where the degree of wear is so
severe that the individual threads of the cotton fiber
are exposed. Such a pattern section may even have
holes in the denim fabric. The sandblasting process
for local and global abrasion may use sandblasting
equipment to abrade the denim jeans with sand particles
or other abrasive media. This process blasts sand
particles from a sandblasting device to a pair of
jeans. The random spatial distribution of the sand
creates a special appearance in a treated area that is
referred to as "feathered". The abrasion in the
feathered area varies from light along the perimeter of
the pattern, e.g., the edges and top of the pattern, to
heavy in the center of the pattern. This unique
appearance may simulate the look of denim jeans that have been worn for a considerable time.
However, the sandblast process has a number of
problems and limitations. For example, the process of
blasting sand or other abrasive media presents
environmental and health issues. Typically, a worker
needs to wear protective gear and masks to reduce the
impact of inhaling airborne sand. The job is considered
to be a hazardous job, and may cause high employee
turnover.
The individual skill of the operator may also be
critical in reducing the scrap rate associated with the
sandblast process. This has the additional effect of
increasing certain costs of labor for the sandblast
operator which are typically higher than the labor rate
for other employees in the denim finishing plant, since
their skill may be important. The actual blasting
process may occur in a room which is shielded from
other areas in the manufacturing facility.
Further environmental issues arise with the
cleanup and disposal of the sand.
The sandblasting process is an abrasive process, which causes wear to the sandblasting equipment.
Often, the equipment needs to be replaced on a yearly
basis or even more frequently. This, of course, can
result in added capital, maintenance and installation
expense.
Also, new designs such as shadow effects along the
top or bottom of the whisker are difficult to
impossible to obtain with the conventional sandblasting
processes .
All in all, the sandblasting process may cost in
excess of $1.00 per pair of jeans, due to the cost of
labor, materials, and scrap produced, and environmental
clean up required. It is difficult to duplicate the
exact placement of the sandblast pattern from one
garment to the next due to the variability of the
process itself and the variability from one laborer to
another.
The sandblast process can also adversely affect
the tear and tensile properties of the denim jeans due
to the abrasion of the sand on the denim. It is not
uncommon for the sandblast process to reduce the tear and tensile strength of the denim by as much as 50%.
Further, the tear and tensile strength variation
following sandblasting is high due to the
uncontrollability of the abrasive process. Some
manufacturers even need to test the tear and tensile
properties of the denim at specific locations where the
abrasion is the least to even pass the apparel company
standards for tear and tensile strength.
Other approaches to creating worn looks present
their own problems. In the case of whiskers or frayed
looks, manufacturers may rely upon very labor
intensive, expensive and slow hand rubbing or sanding
processes where the whiskers or frayed looks are
applied to the denim by hand sanding, sometimes with a
rotating drill such as a DREMEL™ tool. In addition to
the labor costs associated with such a process, this
hand sanding operation is often associated with defects
after washing, where the sanding of the individual
whiskers on the denim may be too little or too much
resulting in a low quality product. Some manufacturers
have even tried to use robotic sanding processes to avoid these problems, albeit at considerable capital
investment and limited flexibility.
Despite the above shortcomings, sandblasting and
rubbing processes remain in wide use because the market
desires worn look denim.
The present assignee has disclosed laser
processing of denim, e.g. in US Patent numbers
5,990,444; 6,002,099 and 5,916,961. These techniques
enable using a laser to change the look of a textile
product.
Summary
In recognition of the above, the inventors propose
new laser scribing devices and techniques to simulate
specified worn looks on fabrics and garments.
One aspect includes using a laser to scribe lines
on a garment, where the energy density per unit time of
the laser causes the garment to change color to varying
degrees from indigo blue or black to white or grey.
Both the individual scanned lines and different
sections of a lazed pattern can have varied energy density per unit time. The variation in energy density
per unit time can be controlled by changing the power,
speed, distance, or duty cycle of the laser as the
lines are scribed on the material.
Other aspects are also disclosed.
Brief Description Of The Drawings
These and other aspects will now be described in
detail with respect to the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
Figure 1 shows an overall lasing system;
Figure 2 shows a controllable laser system;
Figure 3 shows a control screen for a specified
worn look;
Figure 4-12 show control screens for different
specified worn looks;
Figure 13 shows a material delivery system with
automatic turnover; and
Figure 14 shows a material delivery system with a
dual sided laser. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The described system and method teaches a system
for producing worn looks on textile materials and/or
garments that are made from these textile materials.
These worn looks can include abrasion effects which
simulate the look of a worn garment, whisker effects,
frayed effects, as well as any other effect which is
produced on a garment or another product made from a
textile material and which makes the textile material
look more like a used textile material. In addition,
entirely new looks are possible from this invention
that cannot be reproduced from the conventional
sandblasting or rubbing process. This is done using a
number of techniques described in detail herein.
A first technique uses a laser. The output of the
laser is caused to move across a textile material. The
applied energy from the laser changes the look of the
textile material without undesirably burning, punching
through or otherwise harming the textile material. The
basic operations of applying energy from a laser are
described in US Patent no. 5,990,444. In the disclosed system, the effective applied energy
of the laser, e.g, the energy density per unit time
("EDPUT") of the laser, is changed while the laser is
scribing a line across the material ("on the fly") .
The line which is scribed can be a straight line or a
waveform of any shape; however, a line is formed by the
laser traversing the textile or garment from one edge
to another.
The present application introduces the concept of
effective applied energy. This includes the amount of
energy that is effectively applied to an area of a
material. That area can be any size or shape. The
"effective applied energy" can include edput, but also
includes changing scan line speed, power level or speed
level or duty cycle level of the laser. It includes
change the distance of the laser to the material, which
can defocus the laser, and thereby change the EDPUT.
It also includes effective applied power being applied
in multiple sessions or times, by applying multiple
passes, e.g. of fixed power etc. The effect is to
apply more energy to some areas than to others. Another element produces a control sequence that
simulates a statistically random property of particle
distribution such as would be produced by a
sandblasting process. This technique is used with a
user interface program, which enables the designer to
paint the information on an interface screen. The
image on the screen is applied to the material with a
laser. Another aspect of the technique enables use of
a much higher power laser than previous systems of this
type.
As described above, the amount of change that the
laser produces on the textile material is based in part
on the effective applied energy to the material;
previously described in US patent no 5,990,444 as the
energy density per unit time level of the laser
relative to the material. EDPUT depends on power of
the laser, spot size and scan speed of the laser system
relative to the material .
A laser output of the laser is used to scribe
multiple lines across the material. The line can
repeat, i.e. in a zigzag or triangle wave shape. According to the present system, the EDPUT level is
changed while a line is being scanned across the
material. That is, at some point between the ends of
at least one scan line, the EDPUT is different than it
is at either end of the line. The controller system
controls the change of EDPUT level by controlling the
parameters which control EDPUT (power or duty cycle or
speed or distance) .
The EDPUT delivered to the material may be changed
in different ways. A first way is to change the
wattage or power of the laser output in a continuous or
discontinuous fashion. A laser relies on light
bouncing back and forth inside a laser cavity. The
level of excitation of the laser itself may be variable
in certain lasers. Hence excitation unit 200 may
actually be variable to vary the power output of the
laser. Thus, this first way to change the EDPUT level
of the laser directly controls the level of excitation
of the laser in an analog manner.
The other EDPUT controls do not change the actual
laser power output, but instead change the effective amount of energy density per time that arrives on the
material. Another control of EDPUT is via duty cycle
control. The control drive 198 to the excitation unit
200 can be cycled between on, and off, at a relatively
quick rate. The rate of turning on and off must be
fast relative to the movement of the laser. This
technique changes the duty cycle of the output of the
laser 205, effectively controlling the laser to deliver
a different average power level. In any short time,
i.e. in the amount of time it takes the laser to
traverse a distance equal to one or two times the width
of the laser beam, the duty cycle may be adjusted
multiple times. The effective applied energy density
per unit time may therefore be adjusted by this system,
since the root mean square of the power varies with
time just as if the power were changed itself.
The laser can also use an adjustable shutter, as
shown as element 210. This shutter may use a fast
piezoelectric element to open and close an aperture
through which the laser beam 208 passes. The
mechanical shutter can also turn on and off the shutter relatively quickly. Hence, this mechanical shutter
forms an alternate way of changing the duty cycle of
laser application.
The laser beam is applied to the garment and
caused to move relative to the garment by a laser
moving element 215. This laser moving element can
include moving mirrors, or some other way of changing
the laser movement. In this embodiment, the controller
may also produce an output that controls the scanning
speed of the laser. By changing the speed of the
laser, the EDPUT changes along the course of its line,
even if the output power of the laser stays constant.
Yet another way of changing the EDPUT is via
changing the output size of the laser beam. Figure 2
shows a zoom lens assembly 120 which is electrically
controllable. The controller 199 may produce an output
signal that changes the relative position of the lenses
to one another and thereby electrically changes the
spot size.
Alternatively, the platform 230 holding the
material may itself be moved. Placing the garment on a curved surface is yet another way to change the EDPUT
levels by intentionally causing the laser beam to come
out of focus (lowering the EDPUT) at the curved
sections if the center of the section is exactly in
focus .
Yet another way to change the EDPUT is to make
multiple passes or laser scans on different segments of
the pattern. Those sections which have multiple passes
will have higher effective EDPUTs if all other laser
operating parameters are held constant.
This system is used to attempt to mimic naturally-
occurring processes. Worn looks that are obtained from
a conventional laser scribing process may look overly
uniform in some circumstances. This may be referred to
as a contrived or pasted look. The goal, however, is
to produce as natural a look as possible.
U.S. Patent No. 5,916,461 describes using a
probability density function to randomly turn the laser
on and off to simulate "feathering" on the material.
The inventors recognized, however, that
continuously and discontinuously changing the EDPUT level within any laser scan line can even further
improve the effect. By so doing, this system alters
the amount of change or abrasion to the textile
material, as the laser scribes individual lines on the
textile material. This invention provides complete
control of the degree of feathering. The degree of
feathering can be continuously controlled then by
changing the EDPUT levels anywhere in the pattern.
Control of feathering in this way can achieve a worn
looks that appears authentic.
One aspect of this system, therefore, produces a
worn look or other desired look on a textile material
by scanning a laser across a textile, and uses the
laser to change a color of the material, where the
effective power density per unit time of the laser is
changed at least once within a scan line.
According to one aspect, typically sandblasted
garments are examined. This examination reveals
different shapes and wear patterns. These patterns are
basically non-uniform in nature. A high degree of
feathering, or variation of the material (abrasion) , across the edges and top and bottom of a pattern is
observed, either directly by a human examiner, or via
an automated examination process. Different
concentrations of wear along different areas of the
pattern are also observed. The present system stores
information from this observation in the memory 195
that is associated with the controller. This
information includes geometric information about the
wear pattern to be scribed. The information also
includes the look of the actual scanned portion.
This look is then translated into an specified
type of parameter matrix. The matrix can be an EDPUT
matrix, a power matrix, a duty cycle matrix or a speed
matrix, for example. The inventors have found by
experimentation that the amount of energy per unit time
that is applied to any specific area of certain
textiles may change the look in proportion to the
applied amount of energy. This proportion need not be
a linear proportion. The look change may also include
the look after washing. Different patterns can hence be scanned, e.g.
using a scanner or camera. The scanner can evaluate
each of the sections on the garment, here shown as
denim jeans. The system may evaluate, using the total
resolution of the scanner, the color of that section.
A look up table can be established relating the color
of certain materials to the applied EDPUT or power or
duty cycle or speed or distance. In this way, the
EDPUT for each area on the jeans can be established.
This information can be used to form the above-
described matrix, storing any of the above-described
parameters. This matrix can then be used as the
information in the memory 195 which drives the
controller to drive the laser. In this way, different
EDPUT levels can be applied to different sections of
the textile based on the information that is obtained
by observing some other material.
Alternately, the user can examine the wear pattern
and manually enter the changes in EDPUT (power, speed,
duty cycle or distance) that are associated with the
change in abrasion along the pattern geometry. These techniques can replicate any desired look, and can also
produce an entirely new look.
In another aspect, existing looks can be edited.
The look is scanned as noted above to form a matrix.
The matrix can then be edited to keep the desirable
parts, and change other parts.
Examples of the distribution of EDPUT along a
single scanned line may look as shown in Table I.
Table I . EDPUT Calculations for a Scanned Line
Power Spot Area Speed EDPUT (watts) (mm) (mm.2) mm/sec watts-sec/mm3
Scan #1:
Start of Scan 150 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.08 First Section of Scan 190 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.11 First Quarter of Scan 225 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.13 Second Quarter of Scan 250 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.14 Middle of Scan 250 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.14
Third Quarter of Scan 225 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.13 Fourth Quarter of Scan 190 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.11 End of Scan 150 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.14
Scan #2 :
Start of Scan 50 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.01
First Section of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.14
First Quarter of Scan 800 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.22
Second Quarter of Scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.28
Middle of Scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.28
Third Quarter of Scan 800 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.22
Fourth Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.14
End of Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.08
Scan #3 :
Start of Scan 50 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.07
First Section of Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.42
First Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.71
Second Quarter of Scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 10,000 1.41
Middle of Scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 10,000 1.41
Third Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.71
Fourth Quarter of Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.42
End of Scan 50 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.07
This table shows that the EDPUT varies from about 0.08 watts-sec/mm3 to about 0.14 watts-sec/mm3 for the first
scan line which may produce local abrasion patterns.
The EDPUT varies from about 0.01 watts-sec/mm3 to about
0.28 watts-sec/mm3 for the second scan line which may
produce somewhat different local abrasion patterns.
The EDPUT varies from about 0.07 watts-sec/mm3 to about
1.4 watts-sec/mm3 for the third scan line. These
latter, higher EDPUTs may be associated with more
aggressive abrasion patterns including fraying.
However, it should be seen that within a certain
scanned line, the EDPUT value can vary 40% or so and
yet within another line, the EDPUT may vary by over
1000%. Of course, the EDPUT values can vary as little
as 25% or as much as 2000% to create different worn
looks with different degrees of feathering.
In general, looking at these values, the EDPUT can
increase by any desired amount. Moreover, while this
system shows the EDPUT changing a few times within a
scan, the EDPUT can change any number of times within a
scan line. The EDPUT control is thus infinite and can
vary a few percent to several thousand percent along each scanned line and from one scanned line to another.
The inventors observed that the cycle time to laze
the abraded pattern on denim legs could be reduced to 8
seconds or less at a scan speed of 50,000 mm/sec by
using higher power or duty cycle to maintain the
intensity of the image.
Table II shows the variation in EDPUT along an
individual scanned line for a different pattern. Table II. EDPUT Calculations for Worn Pattern #2
Power Spot Area Speed EDPUT
(watts) (mm) (mm2) mm/sec watts -sec/mm3
Worn Pattern #2 : Start of Scan 20 0.30 0.0707 10000 0. .03 First Section of Scan 50 0.30 0.0707 10000 0. .07 First Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10000 0. .71 Second Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10000 0. .71 Middle of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10000 0. .71 Third Quarter of Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 10000 0, .42 Fourth Quarter of Scan 150 0.30 0.0707 10000 0, .21 End of Scan 20 0.30 0.0707 10000 0. .03 Worn Pattern #2 : Start of Scan 20 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.01 First Section of scan 50 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.04 First Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.35 Second Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.35 Middle of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.35 Third Quarter of Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.21 Fourth Quarter of Scan 150 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.11 End of Scan 20 0.30 0.0707 20000 0.01
Worn Pattern #2 :
Start of Scan 20 0.30 0.0707 50000 0. .01
First Section of Scan 50 0.30 0.0707 50000 0. .01
First Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50000 0. .14
Second Quarter of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50000 0. .14
Middle of Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50000 0, .14
Third Quarter of Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 50000 0. .08
Fourth Quarter of Scan 150 0.30 0.0707 50000 0, .04
End of Scan 20 0.30 0.0707 50000 0. .01
The inventors realized that having the ability to
vary EDPUT or power or duty cycle along each individual
scanned line provides advantages of superior control of
the degree of feathering, and hence, the creation of an almost infinite variety of worn looks. Further, the
EDPUT or power or duty cycle could change both along
each individual scanned line as well as from scanned
line to scanned line. EDPUT distributions such as
shown in Tables III-IV could easily be achieved, along
with almost any other EDPUT distributions that are
specified.
Table III shows a non-uniform pattern with
somewhat symmetrical shape along the center, whereas
Table IV shows a non-uniform pattern with heavier
applications of power in the lower left quadrant of the
pattern. Hence, a greater variety of EDPUT patterns
and thus worn looks can be created with these
techniques .
Table III. EDPUT (watts -sec/mm3) Matrix for Worn Pattern #3
X Position (mm)
10 15 20 25 30
Y Position (mm)
0 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.08 0.02
10 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.03
20 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.1
30 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.1
40 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.1
50 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.05
60 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.03
70 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.05 0.05 0.02
80 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.05 0.03 0.01
Table IV. EDPUT (watts -sec/mm3) Matrix for Worn Pattern #4
X Position (mm)
10 15 20 25 30
Y Position (mm)
0 0.01 0.03 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.05
10 0.01 0.03 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.025
20 0.05 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.09
30 0.05 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.1
40 0.1 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.1
50 0.2 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.05
60 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.03
70 0.01 0.05 0.1 0.5 0.4 0.05 0.02
This revolutionary concept changes the "black and
white" characteristic of the laser-scribed image to a
new "grayscale" characteristic. In the conventional
laser marking of materials such as wood, plastic,
metals, etc. the image is created at a constant EDPUT
or power or duty cycle. In the case of laser marking denim, as described in the inventors earlier patents
noted above, the image may be created by using a
constant EDPUT on each line. Thus, one uniform color
was formed after lazing and washing that was between
indigo blue or black (for low EDPUT scribing) and white
or gray (for high EDPUT scribing) . However, the
capability to continuously or discontinuously change
the EDPUT allows the image to assume any shade (after
washing) between indigo blue and white, along any
section of the pattern. The shade is associated with
the degree of abrasion or degree of wear. Hence, the
ability to control the shade also allows control of the
degree of abrasion and feathering.
Further, this new flexibility can thus allow for
the creation of entirely new looks not possible by any
other economic means. Worn looks, images, or entirely
new looks with sections of continuously or
discontinuously different shades between white and
indigo blue can be created. The techniques of
continuously or discontinuously changing the EDPUT
during laser scribing as described herein may have other applications in other material industries where
lasers are used to mark materials such as wood, glass,
plastic, rubber, fabric, steel and others.
As alluded to above, this system has the ability
to more accurately assess worn looks. This is done by
producing a control sequence which replicates the
desired properties; in an on/off manner, continuous
manner, discontinuous manner or in an analog manner.
Any desired amount of control can be provided, limited
only by the amount of EDPUT gradations produced by the
system. The general EDPUT profile can still be
specified graphically, but the precise point during the
scribing of a line at which EDPUT will change can also
be controlled. The EDPUT profile can include a percent
of the highest power or duty cycle required. As an
example, 50% values may be chosen for areas requiring
light abrasion and 100% values can be chosen for areas
requiring heavy abrasion.
A new technique which assists the apparel
designer, is disclosed. This allows the operator to
paint the desired shape or geometry of the pattern desired to be lazed on the denim to obtain the worn
look on the computer screen. In addition, the designer
specifies the degree of feathering or EDPUT or power or
duty cycle profile. Again, this specification can
simply be a percent of the maximum EDPUT, power or duty
cycle .
Each level of effective applied power is
associated with a color. Different sections of the
pattern are painted with different color contents,
where the color contents can be in full power, e.g.,
R,G,B levels or in gray scale levels. In one
embodiment, the colors are associated with different
levels of duty cycle control of the laser. The user
draws on the computer screen, with the mouse, the
desired shape of the pattern. Then the user can select
different colors for different areas. This can use a
point-and-shoot technique or selection from a menu or
by right clicking on an area and selecting from a
context menu. This click associates different sections
of the pattern with different EDPUT/power/duty cycle
levels. The actual power level or duty cycle associated with a given color may be set by a user, and may be
modified for different materials.
A local abrasion effect can be produced using the
user interface screen shown in Figure 3. Figure 3
shows a graphical user interface which permits
formation of a pattern, or a portion of a pattern which
will form the basic design to be scribed on a garment.
The actual pattern 300 is formed of a plurality of
different sections. The outer section 305 defines the
overall outer perimeter of the shape. Also within the
sections are other perimeters shown as 310, 315, 320
and the like. The innermost shapes, such as 325, are
also shown. For shapes of this type, where the
patterns define an oval pattern, many of the sections
are concentric or semi-concentric. The sections can
be defined by perimeters. Spaces between each two
perimeters defines a section. Alternatively, each
section can define a separate layer.
Figure 3 also shows a plurality of operating
parameters which can be set. This includes 330, which
sets the speed in inches per second and 332 which sets the laser scale factor in units per inch. The pattern
scale factor 334 can also be set. The pattern
dimension on the laser can be set. 338 indicates the
drawing direction of the laser. 340 represents the
color change. A boundary length is set in 342. For
some random or psuedo random processes, a random seed
may be necessary. This random seed may be set.
Typical editing controls, such as edit, save, preview,
etc. are also shown.
350 represents the power profile. The colors 352
are on the left side, and the power profile in row 354
is associated with that color.
The system starts with the user selecting a
section, either the outermost section or any of the
more inner sections that are shown. Each of these
sections can be set as having a specified power profile
by associating a color from the color palette 352 with
a section. The power profiles represent different
laser intensities (EDPUT levels) and thus different
degrees of wear. For example, the lighter outer
sections such as 310 and 305 may be associated with a lower power duty cycle level. This creates a more
lightly worn look. The darker sections of the pattern,
such as the section 325, may be associated with higher
power duty cycles and represent a more heavier worn
look. 325 might represent the part of the pattern that
is drawn at the knee section. Different shades of gray
(following washing of the garment) are shown in the
areas between the two extremes. These areas represent
colors of the pattern section that is between indigo
blue and total white after the processing by the laser
and washing of the garment. Each of these changes are
displayed in color. The values can be saved in either
grayscale or in full color and are stored as part of
the pattern file, here shown as left.ppx.
The pattern file represents the power profile
information for the specified pattern which is
displayed and editable via the user interface.
Additional processing features are also used to
give the pattern a more realistic look. A tool set,
shown as 360, can be selected to carry out these
functions. A first tool which is described herein is the blend function. Blend can be carried out either
pixel by pixel, or area by area. The specific area
which is blended may be selectable. A blend computes
an average color for each pixel or area by forming a
weighted average of the color of the pixel or area and
the color of neighboring pixels or areas, e.g. eight
neighboring pixels or areas. The number of pixels
forming the weights can be varied to achieve various
outcomes .
Another tool, shown herein as the whisker tool,
may aid in whisker generation. Users may set the length
and angle of the whisker, and then automatically
produce a whisker pattern which can be later edited by
the user.
A "grain" tool is shown as part of 360 which
produces a "grainy" look. The process for the grainy
look gives each pixel, and its neighboring pixels, a
color vote. The weight for each vote depends on how
long the pixel has maintained the specified color. The
terminology of "long" can refer to number of units of
image in an area, for example. Again, while this system refers to colors, it should be understood that
gray scales can also be used to view the separated
sections. The sections can also be marked with other
area delimiters, such as hatching, stipling or the
like.
Another tool developed as part of this invention
is a -"blaster" tool. In a manner similar to that used
by the "spray can" tool supplied with many computer
drawing programs to "spray" a specific color, the
blaster tool sprays "incremental intensity" onto the
pattern. To continue with the analogy, every time a
"droplet" from the spray can hits the drawing surface,
the pixel or area that is hit adopts the color being
sprayed. With the blaster tool, a pixel hit by a
droplet of incremental intensity has its color level
incremented to the next higher level. The effect of
the tool produces an effect whose impact is dependent
on an amount of time spent "blasting" a given region.
A longer period of blasting causes more pixels to be
colored with the effect and hence causes a greater
impact . The blaster tool can also be used in an intensity-
removing mode. In this mode, pixels that are hit have
their color level changed to the next lower intensity
level .
Any pattern that is formed by natural wear can be
accurately simulated through the use of the blaster
tool. Furthermore, this tool can be automated to draw
certain common features automatically, for example, a
curved line simulating a whisker, a pocket wear pattern
and the ladder pattern that appears along the seams of
worn jeans.
An "undo" function allows one or many functions to
be reversed if the user does not like the effect. This
can, for example, allow trying different sprays or
other effects to test if a good result is obtained. If
not, the operation is reversed.
This system can produce a number of different
effects. Communication of pattern parameters from the
design computer to the laser control computer may be
used to develop an efficient system. Many formats have
been developed for computer viewing, generation and transmission of graphic images. The format for these
files may allow for a higher degree of image complexity
(e.g., color) than required for the present purpose and
therefore tend to provide more information and details
than is needed for the present purposes.
A new file format has been developed called TBF
(TechnoBlast Format) which communicates precisely those
parameters required for converting the desired image
into laser control commands.
The file in the "TBF" format may be a bit-mapped
format of a matrix. Each value represents power
level/duty cycle/EDPUT for each pixel in the image as
well as other control values. This file format
therefore includes an edput value, or at least a value
indicative of the amount of effective energy to be
applied to a pixel associated with each pixel or group
of pixels that is handled as a unit.
Since the information can be stored on a pixel by
pixel level, the writing laser can write in either the
horizontal or the vertical direction, or in any other
direction for that matter, based on the same information. The direction of writing can be selected
by the drawing direction 38. Assuming the writing is
in the horizontal direction, the image is sliced into
pixel-wide fragments. The slice 370 shows, in
exaggerated form, one of these pixel wide fragments.
It should be understood, however, that these pixels are
not drawn to scale, and that in fact a real pixel could
be of any desired size. Note that each pixel such as
372, 374 may have a different EDPUT level associated
with it. The EDPUT level is changed as the laser is
scanning from pixel to pixel.
Many different kinds of looks can be produced
using this system. The following describes only
examples of these looks. It should be understood that
other effects could easily be produced. Any of these
looks can be obtained in any of the ways described
herein, i.e., by authoring a special image intended for
use in changing the color of textile fabric, or by
scanning a real garment and using the results of the
scan to form information to use in changing the color. Figure 4 shows a localized worn look which extends
from somewhat below the waistband to the somewhat below
the knee on each denim leg. The color of the worn look
(after washing) varies from white or gray in the
intense areas of the knee shown as 402 to black or blue
indigo (less intense areas) along the top, bottom and
side portions of the knee shown as 404.
Figure 5 shows an alternative look which is
intended for use in the rear portion of the denim, e.g.
in the seat area. Again, this portion is substantially
oval shaped, but has some worn portions in the center
502 and less worn portions towards the edge 504.
Figure 6 shows a global worn look from the
waistband to the end of the leg section where the color
of the worn look (after washing) ranges from white or
gray in the intense areas along the center and length
of the pattern to indigo blue or black along the top,
bottom and edges of the pattern.
Figure 6 also shows the global worn look from the
rear waistband to the end of the leg section, where the
color of the worn look changes from white or gray in the intense areas of the pattern to indigo blue or
black along the top, bottom and edges of the pattern.
Figures 7 and 8 show a whisker worn look with
multiple lines from about 1/8 inch to about 2 inches in
width by 1 to 14 inches in length. The color of the
pattern changes from white or gray in the center of the
pattern to indigo blue or black along the edges of the
pattern. The whisker worn look can be along any area
of the front and back of the denim jeans and may
contain one or several rectangular sections.
A frayed look in the knee, rear seating area,
along the bottom of the front and back leg section or
any other area of the denim jean is shown in Figures 9-
10. The EDPUT is of sufficient magnitude to fray the
denim so that individual threads are exposed or actual
holes are provided in the denim.
This goes against the teaching in the above 44
patent, which teaches that punch through of the
material is undesired. The specific "fraying" effect, provides enough EDPUT to intentionally cause damage to
the material, however in a controllable and desired
fashion.
A rectangular worn pattern of about 2 inches by 4
inches along the rear pocket of the denim is used to
simulate the wear from a wallet in the back pocket,
where the color of the pattern is white or gray along
the periphery of the rectangle and indigo, blue or
black in the center. Figure 11 shows the TechnoBlast
pattern image created for this type of look.
Any or all of these looks may be combined into a
single image. The composite image may then be used to
laze denim jeans. This may represent an additional
benefit of this system. In previous systems, different
processes were used to obtain different effects. For
example, conventional sandblasting is used to produce
local abrasion on front and back denim leg sections.
Whiskers are made using a hand sanding operation where
individual laborers produced the various whisker
patterns. Frayed looks use hand sanding drills and the
like. In this system, however, multiple effects can all be included within the same file. For example,
Figure 12 shows a composite file including a plurality
of the effects shown above. An additional effect, in
which the whiskers are shadowed, is shown as 1202 in
Figure 12. Just above or below the whisker, a section
is colored white. This indicates no lazing in that
section such that after washing the area is denim blue.
The whisker itself can be different colors to produce
different feathering effects. This technique produces
a shadowed effect for the whiskers considered quite
desirable .
Previous systems of this type have used relatively
low power lasers, e.g. from 25 to 100 watts, of the
type intended for marking materials. Marking lasers
have been used to form graphic images and text on
plastic, wood, steel and glass. Another kind of laser,
called the laser cutter, typically produces much higher
powers, e.g. 250 to 2500 watts. One problem noted by
the inventors is the cycle time for applying the worn pattern. When the low power lasers have been used, the
cycle time may be on the order of minutes for each
application.
The present application describes the use of a
much higher power laser, e.g. a laser having a power
level of 250 watts or higher, even more preferably 500
watts or higher, and most preferably 1000 watts or
higher. For example, a cycle time for abrading denim
jeans can be minutes with a 50 watt laser that is
typically used for marking. A 500 watt laser can
produce the same pattern in a few seconds. This 500
watt laser has typically only been used for cutting
operations, however. The expectation is that these
higher power lasers would unintentionally damage the
material. However, by adjusting the EDPUT, higher
power lasers can safely be used.
As a specific example, the inventors were able to
use the 500 watt lasers to laze abrasion patterns on
the front and rear sections in 15 seconds as compared
with two minutes for the sand blasting process. Using
2500 watt lasers for the application area is also contemplated, which will decrese the cycle time even
further.
Additional developments were made during initial
trials with high-powered lasers. One noted problem is
that the desired level of power or duty cycle at the
beginning of the scribing of a line can be higher than
requested, here called an overshoot. The physical
nature of the laser process requires that when changing
from a lower level of power or duty cycle to a higher
level of power or duty cycle, "inertia" of the power
may cause the power or duty cycle to initially
overshoot the desired higher power or duty cycle. This
may cause an initial excess visible impact on the denim
target. This effect may be strongest when the laser is
actually turned from off (zero power) to on. The
effect on denim becomes much more evident when higher
power lasers are used, e.g. 500 watts or higher.
To overcome this problem, a boundary solution is
used. The desired pattern is given a "boundary" area.
The laser power is set to a level x that is as high as
possible without causing any visible effect on the denim or other garment material. The laser output is
brought to a position outside the boundary. Since the
laser is at the power level x, this causes no visible
change. When the laser beam enters the region of
desired visible impact, the effective power level is
increased. The effective power level is increased less
at that time, since the increase is from x to the
desired level, rather than from 0 to the desired level.
Overshoot from initial turn on may be reduced in this
way.
Another important feature noted by the present
application is based on the interference based on the
pattern/lines that are scribed by the laser, and the
direction of the materials stitch lines. Certain
undesirable "interference patterns" may be produced by
the interaction between the laser writing properties,
the frequency of the laser and the directional
properties of the material. These directional
properties can include any aspect of the material that
is asymmetric - and specifically can include cut, fill
and twill of the denim fabric. A rotation of the fabric or the scribing direction may change this
effect. Orienting the material such that the scan line
makes a 90 degree angle with the cut, fill or twill
minimizes the effect, when it is desired to minimize
that effect. However, some of the interference
patterns themselves produced quite interesting looks
for denim jeans, and may be desirable. Hence, one
aspect of this system includes taking into account the
effects of the interaction between the laser scanning
and the directional properties of the material.
Hence, another parameter of this system requires
the directional pattern of the material to be placed in
a specified orientation. This can also be controlled
by changing the drawing direction using control 338.
One other aspect uses a camera vision system pointed to
face the material and to automatically detect the
directional properties of the material. Those
properties are then input into the computer, and used
as one parameter of operation. As mentioned previously, it is highly desirable to
avoid an artificial or contrived look when attempting to simulate natural wear. It is therefore useful to
minimize the opportunity for the human eye to perceive
any regularity in the pattern produced by the laser.
One approach to achieving this is to allow the user to
specify the power levels in the design, but to cause
the precise point at which power changes between two
adjacent levels to be determined at random. This
feature may not always be desirable. Hence,
randomization of power level change is a user
selectable option.
The higher power lasers can operate faster, and
therefore benefit from more automated processes. The
conveyer system shown in Figure 1 provides the denim
jeans 100 over some form 102. The denim jeans are
introduced to the laser in a horizontal direction. The
laser then scribes the worn look, after which a second
pair of jeans shown as 110 are maintained behind it and
also introduced for subsequent processing. After
processing a batch of jeans in this manner, they can be
removed from the form and reversed to either the same or different laser to scribe the worn look on the rear.
Figure 1 also shows an in-line material processing
system, including an inline laundry device 120, e.g, a
system that applies shampoo with a brush, and a removal
system, such as a wet vac 130. This can use components
from commercially available rug cleaning systems, e.g.
a rug doctor™ or similar shampoo/vacuum combination can
produce a desired effect with an in line system.
Figure 1 shows a straight path conveyer system.
However, a carousel type conveyor is contemplated.
An alternative system is shown in Figure 13. The
jeans 1300 are located on a form shown as 1302. The
form holds the jeans in some way e.g. using clips on
the inside shown as 1304, 1306. These clips hold the
denim jeans in place on the form. Each of the forms
also include a rotation rod 1308 connected to a rotator
1310. The jeans are conveyed along the conveyer 1312,
which includes at least two of these rotators, the
second one being shown as 1315. At a first location,
the jeans come into contact with a first laser 1320.
This laser produces the worn look on the front of the jeans shown as side 1. After so doing, the rotator
1308 is lifted up and causes the jeans to be flipped to
side 2. Subsequently, side 2 comes into contact with
the second laser 1330 which scribes the rear worn look.
The jeans are removed from the form after processing,
and a new pair of unprocessed jeans applied to the
form. While this system describes using two lasers, it
should be understood that a single laser could be used,
i.e. by scribing the front side of one or multiple pair
of jeans, and later flipping all the jeans and scribing
the other side. An automated system can detect whether
the front or back is being presented, e.g. by imaging
the garment to look for the label or bar code on the
jeans. A camera vision system can key in on a specific
area of the jean such as the waistband each time and
simply adjust the laser scan to insure proper placement
of the image on the denim each time.
Figure 14 shows yet another system. The jeans are
held from their sides by clipping on a clip area to a
specified location, e.g. the inside of the pocket where
minimal denim processing will take place. Other clip areas are also possible. The materials processing
system carries the denim by the clip areas, e.g. by a
wire which is constantly moving.
Alternately, a form of the type shown in Figure 13
can be used as free standing conveyer system. In this
embodiment, dual lasers are used, with one on the top
scribing the worn look on the top surface 1400 of the
jeans and the other laser 1420 on the bottom, scribing
the worn look on the bottom surface of the jeans 1405.
Any free standing conveyer system can be used for this.
For example, this may also be done with the garment
suspended on a hanging system in the vertical
direction. Different form shapes are also possible.
Different type of worn looks may be obtained
depending upon the type of form that is used. For
example, typical metal forms such as used in the dry
cleaning industry produce a worn look that is similar
to that obtained from sandblasting, since the garment
is relatively flat as the laser scribes the worn look
on the garment. However, using an inflatable balloon
type form, such as used in some denim finishing plants, produces a somewhat different worn look. The balloon
is inflated inside the denim pant leg, causing the
fibers to be spread. The jean wraps around the form in
a concave fashion during scribing.
The inventors noted that this invention produced
benefits in the production of denim jeans with whisker
patterns to simulate the creases along the thigh and
knee section. Denim manufacturers have tried numerous
methods to create the desired whisker patterns. Many
have noted that only the hand sanding process was
really acceptable to create the authentic worn look for
the whiskers. This process may be labor intensive and
the quality of the whisker pattern is a function of the
skill of the laborer who sands the whiskers on the
denim. Considerable variability exists from one
laborer to another, as would be expected. Some
laborers apply too much pressure and some too little
pressure such that the quality of the end product is
quite variable.
However, the inventors noted that using the new
technique of changing the EDPUT along the individual scribed lines, any desired whisker pattern could be
exactly replicated. Further, a typical whisker pattern
could be applied to the denim jeans with this invention
in a few seconds, compared to several minutes with the
hand sanding operation. The quality of the whisker
pattern produced from this system is consistent from
one denim jean to the other because of the consistency
of the laser scribing process. Hence, the yield would
be expected to be significantly greater with this
invention compared with the hand sanding operation.
Although only a few embodiments are disclosed,
other modifications are possible and are intended to be
encompassed within the following claims. For example,
other marking elements, that is other marking elements
besides a laser, are contemplated.
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US15790499P true | 1999-10-05 | 1999-10-05 | |
US60/157,904 | 1999-10-05 |
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
MXPA02003486A MXPA02003486A (en) | 1999-10-05 | 2000-09-28 | A scanned modulated laser for processing material surfaces. |
JP2001528731A JP2003511242A (en) | 1999-10-05 | 2000-09-28 | Method and apparatus for treating the surface of the fibrous material using a laser in order to obtain the wear appearance |
EP00967049A EP1242962A2 (en) | 1999-10-05 | 2000-09-28 | Material surface processing with a laser that has a scan modulated effective power to achieve multiple worn looks |
CA002386786A CA2386786A1 (en) | 1999-10-05 | 2000-09-28 | A scanned modulated laser for processing material surfaces |
AU77306/00A AU7730600A (en) | 1999-10-05 | 2000-09-28 | Material surface processing with a laser that has a scan modulated effective power to achieve multiple worn looks |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2001025824A2 true WO2001025824A2 (en) | 2001-04-12 |
WO2001025824A3 WO2001025824A3 (en) | 2001-10-25 |
Family
ID=22565812
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2000/026726 WO2001025824A2 (en) | 1999-10-05 | 2000-09-28 | A scanned modulated laser for processing material surfaces |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1242962A2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2003511242A (en) |
CN (1) | CN1271554C (en) |
AU (1) | AU7730600A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2386786A1 (en) |
MX (1) | MXPA02003486A (en) |
TR (1) | TR200201254T2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2001025824A2 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2016033367A1 (en) * | 2014-08-27 | 2016-03-03 | Revolaze, LLC | System and method of generating a pattern or image on fabric with linear laser irradiation, fabric made by said method, and products made with said fabric |
WO2018035538A1 (en) * | 2016-08-19 | 2018-02-22 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Laser finishing of apparel |
WO2018112113A1 (en) * | 2016-12-13 | 2018-06-21 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Using fabric templates to obtain multiple finishes by laser finishing |
WO2018112110A1 (en) * | 2016-12-13 | 2018-06-21 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Fabric with enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing |
EP3346038A1 (en) * | 2017-01-05 | 2018-07-11 | Jeanología, S.L. | Method for laser engraving of clothing and corresponding machine |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN105658869B (en) * | 2013-09-19 | 2018-12-11 | 莱沃拉泽有限责任公司 | Generating system and method are used to process the fabric by a laser irradiation surface, and the fabric pattern is created therefrom |
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US4629858A (en) * | 1983-12-12 | 1986-12-16 | Interface Flooring Systems, Inc. | Method for engraving carpet and carpet so engraved |
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US5865933A (en) * | 1996-11-12 | 1999-02-02 | Milliken Research Corporation | Method for selectively carving color contrasting patterns in textile fabric |
US5916461A (en) * | 1997-02-19 | 1999-06-29 | Technolines, Llc | System and method for processing surfaces by a laser |
US5990444A (en) * | 1995-10-30 | 1999-11-23 | Costin; Darryl J. | Laser method and system of scribing graphics |
US6002099A (en) * | 1997-04-23 | 1999-12-14 | Technolines, Llc | User control interface for laser simulating sandblasting apparatus |
-
2000
- 2000-09-28 TR TR2002/01254T patent/TR200201254T2/en unknown
- 2000-09-28 CN CNB008166595A patent/CN1271554C/en active IP Right Grant
- 2000-09-28 CA CA002386786A patent/CA2386786A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-09-28 MX MXPA02003486A patent/MXPA02003486A/en active IP Right Grant
- 2000-09-28 EP EP00967049A patent/EP1242962A2/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2000-09-28 JP JP2001528731A patent/JP2003511242A/en active Pending
- 2000-09-28 WO PCT/US2000/026726 patent/WO2001025824A2/en active IP Right Grant
- 2000-09-28 AU AU77306/00A patent/AU7730600A/en not_active Abandoned
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US4629858A (en) * | 1983-12-12 | 1986-12-16 | Interface Flooring Systems, Inc. | Method for engraving carpet and carpet so engraved |
US5341157A (en) * | 1992-08-14 | 1994-08-23 | Bumb & Associates | Laser-driven silk screen mask device |
US5567207A (en) * | 1994-07-31 | 1996-10-22 | Icon, Inc. | Method for marking and fading textiles with lasers |
US5990444A (en) * | 1995-10-30 | 1999-11-23 | Costin; Darryl J. | Laser method and system of scribing graphics |
US5865933A (en) * | 1996-11-12 | 1999-02-02 | Milliken Research Corporation | Method for selectively carving color contrasting patterns in textile fabric |
US5916461A (en) * | 1997-02-19 | 1999-06-29 | Technolines, Llc | System and method for processing surfaces by a laser |
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Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2016033367A1 (en) * | 2014-08-27 | 2016-03-03 | Revolaze, LLC | System and method of generating a pattern or image on fabric with linear laser irradiation, fabric made by said method, and products made with said fabric |
WO2018035538A1 (en) * | 2016-08-19 | 2018-02-22 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Laser finishing of apparel |
US10051905B2 (en) | 2016-08-19 | 2018-08-21 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Laser finishing of apparel |
WO2018112113A1 (en) * | 2016-12-13 | 2018-06-21 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Using fabric templates to obtain multiple finishes by laser finishing |
WO2018112110A1 (en) * | 2016-12-13 | 2018-06-21 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Fabric with enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing |
EP3346038A1 (en) * | 2017-01-05 | 2018-07-11 | Jeanología, S.L. | Method for laser engraving of clothing and corresponding machine |
WO2018127838A1 (en) * | 2017-01-05 | 2018-07-12 | Jeanologia, S. L. | Method for laser engraving on clothing and corresponding machine |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
MXPA02003486A (en) | 2002-12-13 |
WO2001025824A3 (en) | 2001-10-25 |
AU7730600A (en) | 2001-05-10 |
EP1242962A2 (en) | 2002-09-25 |
CA2386786A1 (en) | 2001-04-12 |
CN1408098A (en) | 2003-04-02 |
TR200201254T2 (en) | 2002-09-23 |
JP2003511242A (en) | 2003-03-25 |
CN1271554C (en) | 2006-08-23 |
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