Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41H—APPLIANCES OR METHODS FOR MAKING CLOTHES, e.g. FOR DRESS-MAKING OR FOR TAILORING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • A41H5/00—Dress forms; Bust forms; Stands
  • A41H5/01—Dress forms; Bust forms; Stands with means for adjustment, e.g. of height
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F8/00—Dummies, busts or the like, e.g. for displaying garments
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a mannequin, method and system of facilitating the making, altering and/or purchase of clothing and/or adornments.
• the system and method involves use of a mannequin with sensors and/or mechanisms to provide one or more quantitative indicators of fit and/or comfort.
• H need not be the only, or indeed the broadest aspect, the Invention provides a mannequin including:
• a body that substantially resembles that of a prospective user of clothing and / or adornments, the body including an outer contour;
• a plurality of sensors attached to the body, for providing one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and / or adornments fitted to the mannequin, and
• a data transmission interface connected to the sensors operable to transmit the one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and/or adornments.
• the quantitative indications of the performance of the clothing and/or adornments fitted to the mannequin include one or more of an indication of pressure, air flow, body heat, fabric softness, clothing transparency, material stress, the extent to which fabric is stretched, and clothing and/or adornment integrity.
• the outer body contour is defined over at least part of the body by a plurality of adjustable devices that are operable to cause the mannequin to replicate one or more outer body contours of the user.
• the mannequin further includes: a data reception interface for receiving measurements of the user, the measurements associated with the one or more outer body contours of the user; and
• a processor for transforming the received measurements to signals receivable by the plurality of adjustable devices
• the plurality of adjustable devices are activated and/or controlled to adopt a physical position that causes the mannequin to replicate one or more outer body contours of the user.
• the plurality of adjustable devices may include moveable pistons, and the plurality of sensors may measure the force applied to the one or more of the movable pistons replicating the one or more outer body contours of the user by an article of dothlng or adornment fitted to the mannequin.
• the one or more movable pistons are activated hydraullcally or pneumatically, and the force applied to movable pistons by the article of clothing or adornment is measured by one or more hydraulic or pneumatic pressure sensors.
• the adjustable devices may Include removable pistons actuated by electromagnetic means or driven by an electric motor.
• the Invention provides a system for making, altering and/or purchasing clothing for or by a customer, the system including:
• a mannequin including:
• a body that substantially resembles that of a prospective user of clothing and / or adornments, the body including an outer contour;
• a plurality of sensors attached to the body, for providing one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and / or adornments fitted to the mannequin, and
• a data interface connected to the sensors operable to transmit the one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and/or adornments; and a presentation module, for generating a graphical representation of the quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and/or the adornments fitted to the mannequin.
• the system further includes:
• a reception interface for receiving measurements of the user, the measurements associated with the one or more outer body contours of the user
• a processor for transforming the received measurements to signals receivable by the plurality of adjustable devices
• the plurality of adjustable devices adopt a physical position that causes the mannequin to replicate one or more outer body contours of the user.
• system further includes a data transmission interface for transmitting the graphical representation of the quantitative indications.
• the graphical representation of the quantitative indications may include a coded overlay on a graphic image.
• the graphic image may include one of a photographic image of the clothing fitted to the mannequin.
• the graphical representation may include regions of differential transparency, regions of differential coloured shading and/or regions of differential brightness.
• the graphical representation Includes regions of differential transparency and regions of differential coloured shading, wherein the coloured shading indicates a type of quantitative indication and the transparency indicates a magnitude of the quantitative indication.
• the invention provides a method of facilitating making, altering and/or purchasing clothing by a user, the method including:
• an adjustable mannequin including:
• a body that substantially resembles that of a prospective user of clothing and / or adornments, the body including an outer contour; a plurality of sensors attached to the outer contour of body, for providing one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and / or adornments fitted to the mannequin, and
• a data transmission interface connected to the sensors operable to transmit the one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and/or adornments
• the method further includes:
• the mannequin includes a plurality of adjustable devices that are operable to adjust their physical dimensions to replicate one or more outer body contours of the user.
• the physical dimensions of the prospective user may include one or more of a height of the prospective user, and a length or width of a body part of the prospective user.
• the method further includes:
• the method further includes:
• the clothing may include any one or more of a shirt, a blouse, a dress, a skirt, a vest, a jumper, a jacket, pants, a suit, shoes, a hat or gloves, and the adornments may include any one or more of a watch, a scarf, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, a fascinator or a girdle.
• the method further includes. adjusting the mannequin to a new position
• FIO. 1 illustrates a mannequin according to an embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 2 illustrates a system for the making, alteration and/or purchase of clothing for or by a customer
• FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical representation of quantitative indications of performance of clothing according to an embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 4 illustrates a mannequin according to another embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 5 illustrates a mannequin according to another embodiment of the invention
• FIG. ⁇ illustrates the mannequin of FIG. 5 including a sleeved shirt
• FIG. 7 illustrates a method of facilitating the making, alteration and/or purchase of clothing by a user, according to an embodiment of the present Invention
• FIGS. 8a-8c illustrate progressively how the movable piston sensors 22 move from a retracted position inside the mannequin of FIG. 1 to a different extended position outside the mannequin depending on the input shape of the customer;
• FIG. 9 illustrates a cross sectional view of the torso of a still further mannequin embodiment 10c.
• FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a computer system with which the present invention may be implemented.
• Embodiments of the present invention include a mannequin, method and system of facilitating the making, altering and/or purchase of clothing and/or adornments. Elements of the invention are illustrated in concise outline form in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are necessary for understanding the embodiments of the present invention, but so as not to clutter the disclosure with excessive detail that will be obvious to a skilled reader.
• the customer may request the fitment of an article of clothing to the mannequin so that they may directly view a graphical representation of the performance of the clothing.
• the customer may be provided with images of the article of clothing fitted to the mannequin, overlayed with performance data.
• the mannequin may represent an entire human body, or a part of a human body, such as an arm, a hand, a foot, etc, the body.
• the mannequin may represent a part of the body of an animal, or any other suitable body.
• the following description refers only to mannequins replicating a human body, however a skilled reader could easily adapt the embodiments to suit another type of suitable body.
• the clothing may include, for example, a shirt, a blouse, a dress, a skirt, a vest, a jumper, a jacket, pants, a suit, shoes, a hat, gloves and/or other fashion accessories.
• the adornments may include, for example, a watch, a scarf, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, a horse saddle, a fascinator and/or a girdle.
• the following description refers only to clothing, however a skilled reader could easily adapt the embodiments to suit another type of adornment.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a mannequin 10a according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• the mannequin 10a includes a torso 12 in the form of an elongated elliptical cylinder, and a neck 14, arms 16 and legs 18 each being in the form of elongated cylinders.
• a head portion 20 is also disposed above the neck 14.
• the mannequin 10a replicates In a very basic form a human body.
• each of the body parts 12, 14, 16, 18 is made to be extendible and lockabie at desired positions. For example, if details such as a customer's height, torso and waist dimensions, arm length, leg length, etc. are known, then the mannequin 0a can be adjusted to these dimensions.
• the mannequin 10a includes a plurality of movable piston sensors 22 disposed on each of the torso 12, neck 14, arms 16 and legs 18.
• the movable piston sensors 22 are adapted to extend outwardly from each body part 12, 14, 16, 18, and also to be retracted again to their original position so that the process can be repeated.
• the movable piston sensors 22 include sensors for providing one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and / or adornments fitted to the mannequin 10a.
• the movable piston sensors 22 measure a force exerted on the movable piston 22 by clothing fitted to the mannequin.
• the movable piston sensors 22 are initially positioned such that they replicate one or more outer body contours of the user.
• a force is applied to the movable piston sensors 22. The applied force may be used to determine the tightness of the clothing.
• the movable piston sensors 22 exert an opposing force to any articles of clothing or adornments fitted to the mannequin 10a.
• the opposing force replicates the opposing force that would be applied by the user's skin or muscle tissue to the articles of clothing or adornments.
• the movable piston sensors 22 ensure that the appearance of the mannequin, and the pressure readings of the movable piston sensors 22, are consistent with the appearance and pressure of the clothing when fitted to the user.
• the mannequin 10a is adjusted according to a customer's dimensions by the movable piston sensors 22.
• the movable piston sensors 22 advantageously have an upper pressure threshold in order to avoid damaging clothing that is too small. Otherwise, the pressure required to replicate the outer body contours of the user, when the clothing is applied, is measured.
• the mannequin 10a further includes a data transmission interface, connected to the movable piston sensors 22, operable to transmit the one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing of the sensors.
• the data transmission interface may transmit the pressure of all of the movable piston sensors 22 individually and without transformation.
• the mannequin 10a may include data transformation capabilities, which enable data from multiple movable piston sensors 22 to be transmitted together, or alternatively provide a filtered or transformed version of the pressures.
• the data transmission interface may include any suitable data transmission interface including raw data transfer, and data transfer using protocols such as TCP/IP, or similar.
• the movement and sensing of the movable piston sensors 22 may be achieved using any suitable known means and may use electrical actuators, or accurate servo motors.
• the movable piston sensors 22 may be telescopic such that extension and/or retraction of a movable piston sensor 22 only alters the physical location of one end of the movable piston 22.
• the plurality of movable piston sensors 22 are disposed at a density that allows the movable piston sensors 22 to both replicate one or more curves and/or one or more contours along the length of each body part 12, 14, 16, 18 and accurately sense a performance of a body part on the one or more curves and/or one or more contours.
• the movable piston sensors 22 in the legs 18 can be extended and/or retracted to replicate the outer body contour of a customer's calf, knee and/or thigh region, and thus accurately sense a pressure corresponding to the clothing on the customer's calf, knee and/or thigh region.
• the movable piston sensors 22 of the torso 12 can similarly be extended and retracted to replicate and sense pressure on the outer body contour of a customer's buttocks, lower back, upper back, underarm area, shoulders, abdomen and/or chest region.
• the movable piston sensors 22 of the arms 16 may be extended and/or retracted to replicate and sense pressure on the outer body contour of a customer's forearm, elbow and/or upper arm.
• the movable piston sensors 22 of a bicep, pectoral, abdomen, buttock, quadriceps and/or neck panel 24 may be extended and or retracted to replicate and sense pressure on an outer body contour of a customer's bicep, pectoral, abdomen, buttock, quadriceps and/or neck.
• the sensors and/or the adjustable devices may operate hydrautically and/or pneumatically, for example, to define the outer body contour of the mannequin 10a and to measure applied pressure, Other technology, such as springs may be used to measure a pressure and/or define an outer body contour.
• the sensors and the adjustable devices may be separate. For example, the sensors may be place on the adjustable devices, or adjacent to the adjustable devices.
• the plurality of adjustable devices include inflatable bladder sensors that are used to adjust the outer body contour of the mannequin 10a to resemble that of a customer and to accurately sense a pressure
• a combination of movable piston sensors 22 and inflatable bladder sensors is used and the two types of devices are used to define the outer body contour of the mannequin 0a for different parts of a body.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 for the making, alteration and/or purchase of clothing for or by a customer.
• the system 200 includes the mannequin 10a and a computer 205.
• the computer 205 includes a reception interface, for receiving measurements of the user, in the form of a graphical user interface 210.
• the measurements are associated with one or more outer body contours of the user.
• the customer may be measured by themselves or another person such as, a friend or, in an In-shop environment, by a shop assistant.
• the outer body counter of a customer is dynamic such that it changes with movement.
• the outer body counter changes with walking, running, bending down, lunging and/or squatting.
• the measurements may include measurements In two or more poses.
• the two or more poses may include a standing pose and or one or more other poses.
• the standing pose may have the customer measured in a relaxed, straight back standing position with feet side by side and shoulder width apart.
• the one or more other poses may include one or both elbow bent at right angles; one or both knees bent at right angles; one or both elbow bent to maximum; one or both knee bent to maximum; one or both elbow bent to an angle between straight arm and maximum; one or both knee bent to an angle between straight and maximum; customer on one knee; customer on both Knees, customer In a lunge; customer In a partial lunge; customer in a squat; customer in a partial squat; customer with a bent back; customer tegs together, customer legs further apart than shoulders; arms raised to side; arms raised in front; arms raised above head.
• the two or more poses may be used by the computer 205 to build a dynamic range of movement and body shape of the customer.
• the measurements may include measurements relating to an action performed by a customer.
• An example of such an action is a golf swing, or bending in a certain manner. This enables the system 200 to determine one or more quantitative Indications of performance when certain actions are performed.
• the measurements may then be input Into the graphical user interface 210.
• the data may be uploaded over the internet by a customer.
• the computer 205 may include a web server which provides the graphical user interface 210 to the remote user via a web browser.
• the graphical user interface may also be used to receive one or more preferences relating to the quantitative indications of performance.
• preferences may include a strong preference for loose fitting collars, a preference for tight pants, or any other suitable preference.
• the computer is operatively connected to the mannequin 10a, by a wired connection 215.
• a wireless connection may similarly be used, as may a combination of wired 215 and wireless connections.
• the computer 205 transforms the measurements into signals receivable by the plurality of movable piston sensors 22. Movement of the movable piston sensors 22 is then electronically controlled in accordance with the input measurements, through the signals.
• the computer 205 additionally includes a reception interface, for receiving one or more quantitative Indications of performance of the clothing fitted to the mannequin.
• the quantitative indications of performance may comprise raw data as read by the plurality of sensors, or filtered data.
• the computer 205 Includes a presentation module, for generating a graphical representation of the quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and/or the adornments fitted to the mannequin.
• the preferences, as well as empirical data, for example, may be used to filter data prior to generating a graphical representation. Such filtering may Include exaggerating or ignoring certain quantitative indications.
• the present invention is not limited to any one method of obtaining outer body contour data from a customer, or for conveying such data to the mannequin to adjust the physical location of the movable piston sensors 22 or other devices for establishing an outer body contour of the mannequin 10a such that it resembles that of the customer.
• the system 200 further includes a scanning device.
• the scanning device may include three dimensional scanning technology using lasers, or any other technology for the purpose of scanning an outer body contour of a customer.
• the one or more other poses may include the customer in the act of walking; running; lunging, squatting; and bending a knee or elbow, for example.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical representation 300 of quantitative indications of performance of clothing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• the graphical representation 300 includes an image 305 of the clothing fitted to the mannequin and a coded overlay 310 representing the quantitative indications of performance.
• the coded overlay 310 includes regions of differential transparency, the level of transparency of the overlay indicating a magnitude of the quantitative indication.
• the coded overlay 310 may be represented as complete image rather than an overlay.
• a brightness of a colour may be used to Indicate a magnitude of the quantitative indication. For example, a bright red may be used to indicate a particularly tight area, and dull red may be used to indicate a tight area that is not very tight.
• the coded overlay 310 may include a thresholding of data, such that levels of a quantitative indication above or below a certain threshold are not shown at all. In a simple embodiment, the coded overlay 310 may simply have two values, i.e. to indicate a potential problem or not.
• the coded overlay 3 0 of FIO. 3 indicates a tight fit of a shirt around the stomach.
• each type of quantitative is coded using a different colour, and the level of transparency of each colour indicates a magnitude of the quantitative indication.
• the image is adjusted to replace those uncovered portions with images that are representative of the user.
• the uncovered portions are replaced with an image of a skin tone that is similar to that of the user.
• an image of the dressed mannequin is adjusted to replace uncovered portions with actual representations of the user's corresponding body parts that are captured during the process of scanning the user's body to obtain their outer dimensions. Adjusting the Image of the mannequin to merge into that image body parts of the user for those parts of the mannequin that are uncovered provides the best representation to the user regarding how the item of clothing will appear when worn by themselves.
• FIO. 4 illustrates a mannequin 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• the mannequin 400 Includes a plurality of sensors attached to the outer contour of the body, in the form of pressure sensors 405 and an air flow sensor 410.
• the air flow sensor 410 comprises a fan, and an air circulation sensor.
• the air flow sensor 410 may be advantageous in detecting how warm, or how close to the body an item of clothing may feel.
• sensors include heat retention sensors, fabric softness or texture sensors, clothing transparency sensors, material stress sensors, clothing stretch sensors, and sensors to detect integrity of clothing.
• Any suitable sensing technology may be utilised to provide an indication of pressure applied to the mannequin such as, microcell sensing, mechanical differential sensing, load cell and/or strain gauges, dedicated pressure sensors, tactile sensors, fibre optic sensors, inductive sensors and/or piezoelectric sensors.
• the microcell sensor may either be encased inside the movable piston sensor 22 or inserted into the sides to measure changes in hydraulic or pneumatic pressure.
• the mechanical differential sensors may monitor the energy consumed by mechanical actuators, to momentarily enlarge the body shape with and without clothing fitted.
• the difference between the two energy readings may be calibrated to provide a relative indication of the tightness of the fitted clothes.
• the load cell and/or strain gauges may be placed Inside the movable piston sensors 22, or applied to the surface of the outer skin of the mannequin. Typically these are resistive components, although other technologies such as Inductive capacitive or piezo may be utilized. Resistive transducers change their resistance in accordance to the level of force applied to the sensor's surface in a predictable and repeatable manner.
• Dedicated pressure sensors may work in a similar manner to microcell sensing.
• the sensors may be comprised of an Integrated volume of air and load cell sensor that, when squeezed or pressured, may provide an electrical signal indicate the level of force applied.
• the benefit is that they can be placed in close proximity to the components that are used to replicate the outer contour shape of a user.
• the tactile sensors may be constructed from plezo-resistive materials residing between two layers of silver on a flexible backing tape. The benefit of this type of technology is that it is small, light and flexible.
• the sensor areas may be constructed in arrays, which concentrate a number of detectors into a small area.
• Fibre Optic Sensors may operate by using a wide range of optical principles and fundamentally may utilise an optical fibre which allow single point pressure and/or force measurement.
• the benefit of this type of sensor Is fibre itself can have a low mass, and the signal can be transmitted over a large distance with little signal degradation.
• Inductive Sensors may work by measuring the displacement of a diaphragm by means of changes in its Inductance. These sensors, may be similar in size to a load cell sensor.
• Piezoelectric sensors use the piezoelectric effect (i.e. a measurable voltage) in crystal that occurs when a force Is applied.
• sensors may be deployed In either an active or passive sensor network.
• wired, wireless, passive RF or optical technology may be utilised to transmit data back to a host computer.
• the pressure sensors may measure and report to the consumer the pressure the garment applies upon the body in the two or more passes, to determine if the consumer will be comfortable in the day to day wear of the garment.
• the movable piston sensors 22 may be touch sensitive such that once they have been extended to suit the outer body contour of the customer, they will also retract once an article of clothing bears against them. Thus the movable piston sensors 22 may be biased and retract upon the exertion of pressure to indicate to the customer how the article of clothing would appear.
• the pressure sensors may be included on each of the movable piston sensors 22 or may be included on only a subset of the movable piston sensors.
• pressure sensors are included on at least one movable piston sensor 22 or a suitable subset of movable piston sensors 22 in areas known to be important to fit, such as neck, shoulders, biceps, wrist, chest, bust, waist and abdomen.
• one movable piston sensor 22 on a bicep may give a suitable indicator of pressure, however a ring of sensors around a neck or a waist may be required.
• the pressure applied to the movable piston sensor 22 by clothing is measured by the electric current supplied to the movable piston sensor 22 to extend them when the clothing is fitted.
• the pressure applied by the clothing to the movable piston sensor 22 is determined by measuring the tightness of the clothing on the mannequin 10a, 400.
• the tightness is measured by measuring the stretching of the clothing.
• the pressure indication is provided by covering the mannequin 10a, 400 with a special fabric that can report on the pressure it receives, and/or by measuring a chemical structure change.
• the mannequin may also provide other quantitative indications of fit such as air flow, body heat, fabric softness, clothing transparency, stress testing, a customer weight change allowance and clothing and/or adornment integrity.
• the air flow indication may be provided by the mannequin 10a. 10b, 10c comprising an opening underneath the fitted clothing and/or adornment through which air is blown and an air blower.
• the air flow indication provides a customer with an Indication of sufficient or insufficient air flow and an estimate of the level of perspiration when wearing the garment.
• the body heat indication may be provided by the mannequin 10a, 400 comprising one or more heat generators and a plurality of thermometers to measure the air temperature between mannequin 10a, 400 and the clothing and/or the heat escaping through the clothing and/or adornment.
• the temperature readings from the plurality of thermometers provide an indication of how heat escapes through the fitted clothing and how suitable the clothing is for cold weather, how comfortable It is in different weather conditions and a recommended temperature range.
• the fabric softness indication may be provided by using the pressure sensors to measure the softness of the material from which the fitted clothing and/or adornment is comprised.
• the measure of fabric softness may provide an Indication of how soft the fabric is and/or whether the fitted clothing is suitable to be worn on the naked body. This embodiment may be particularly appealing to customers buying undergarments and/or with sensitive skin and the invention may provide softness ranges suitable for sensitive and normal skin.
• the fabric transparency indication may be provided by mannequin 0a, 400 comprising one or more lights for projecting light through the fitted clothing. This provides a customer with confirmation as to whether the clothing will be see-through or not when worn and whether suitable undergarments should be worn to reduce the transparency.
• the weight change allowance indicator may be provided by mannequin 10a, 400 being manipulated to replicate changes to body contour according to a weight change by extending the movable piston sensors 22.
• the weight change may be distributed throughout the body or may be localized at one region for example, the abdomen, hips, buttocks or thighs.
• the weight change may be an increase or decrease in weight of 1 , 2, 3, 4 or 5 kilograms. Rather than using a model, a customer may be scanned during weight variation to provide accurate measurements and distribution of weight variation.
• the stress test indicator may be provided by having mannequin 10a, 400 change pose, for example dynamically and/or between the two or more poses, and expand where needed, for example at flexed muscles or bent joints to assess whether stitching on the garment is suitable for long lasting wear.
• Photographic or video Images may be obtained during the stress test with particuiar attention on the stitches and sent to the customer with a report for visual assessment of durability.
• the clothing and/or adornment integrity indicator may be provided by checking the consistency of the cloth or material from which the clothing and/or adornment is comprised on the dressed mannequin.
• this allows a report on whether the clothing and/or adornment has any holes or damage.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a mannequin 10b according to another embodiment of the invention.
• the mannequin 10b is similar to the mannequin 10a, but more closely resembles a human body.
• the mannequin 10b includes a plurality of body panels 24, which substantially resemble the major muscles of the human body, for example, there is a panel 24 for each bleep muscle, a panel 24 for each pectoral muscle, and so on. Rather than including a large number of panels, a single curved panel 24 may be used where required.
• each panel is a pressure sensor (not shown) for detecting an amount of pressure applied to the panel by an item of clothing.
• the mannequin 10b includes a plurality of sensors 32 disposed on each panel. As described earlier any type of sensor 32 may be used, heat retention sensors, fabric softness or texture sensors, clothing transparency sensors, material stress sensors, clothing stretch sensors, and sensors to detect integrity of clothing.
• the mannequin 10b further includes flexible joints between at least two panels, such that the mannequin 10b may change pose.
• the joints may be mechanically operated.
• FIG. 6 illustrates a mannequin 10b, as described in FIG. 5, but Including a sleeved shirt 36.
• FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 of facilitating the making, alteration andfor purchase of clothing by a user, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• outer physical dimensions of the prospective user of clothing and / or adornments are received, via a data interface.
• the mannequin is fitted with the clothing and / or adornments.
• the mannequin includes a plurality of sensors attached to the outer contour of body, for providing one or more quantitative indications of performance of the clothing and / or adornments fitted to the mannequin.
• the mannequin additionally includes a plurality of adjustable devices that are operable to adjust their physical dimensions to replicate one or more outer body contours of the user.
• the mannequin is adjusted according to the received outer physical dimensions.
• the quantitative indications are received from the mannequin, via a data interface.
• a graphical representation of the quantitative indications is provided to the user, via a data interface.
• FIGS. 8a-8c illustrate progressively how the movable piston sensors 22 move from a retracted position inside the mannequin 1 a to a different extended position outside the mannequin 10a depending on the input shape of the customer.
• a cross section through the torso region of the mannequin 1 b is shown.
• FIG. 8c illustrates the same mannequin 10a having an item of clothing 34 applied, exerting pressure back onto the movable piston sensors 22.
• FIG. 9 illustrates a cross sectional view of the torso of a still further mannequin embodiment 10c.
• the mannequin 10c includes a single planar panel 40 extending through a vertical axis of the body, and a plurality of movable piston sensors 42 extend outwardly therefrom to an extent similar to that of the location of the panels of mannequin 10b or the extended movable piston sensors 22 of the mannequin 10a.
• the movable piston sensors 42 can be extended as required by any known means, for example, they may be telescopic.
• mannequin 10c may also alter the outer body contour depending upon the mannequin pose as outlined with reference to mannequin 10a above.
• any of the mannequins 10a, 10b, 10c may also include additional sensors to those discussed above, in order to provide further quantitative indications of fit of the clothing to a customer's body shape.
• the one or more quantitative Indication of fit may include ah indication of pressure, through tightness of fit, applied by the clothing when worn, an indication of air flow, body heat, fabric softness, clothing transparency, stress testing and a weight change allowance.
• the quantitative indications can additionally include measures such as clothing or material quality, seam quality, material thickness or similar which may not directly change the fit of an item of clothing, but instead other characteristics of the clothing such as quality.
• FIO. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a computer system 1000, with which the present invention may be implemented.
• the computer system 1000 includes a central processor 002, a system memory 1004 and a system bus 1006 that couples various system components including the system memory 1004 to the central processor 1002.
• the system bus 1006 may be any of several types of bus structure including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.
• the structure of system memory 1004 is well known to those skilled in the relevant field of technology and may include a basic input output system (BIOS) stored in a read only memory (ROM) and one or more program modules such as operating systems, application programs and program data stored in random access memory (RAM).
• BIOS basic input output system
• ROM read only memory
• RAM random access memory
• the computer system 000 may also include a variety of interface units and drives for reading and writing data.
• the computer system 1000 includes a hard disk interface 1008 and 8 removable memory interface 1010 respectively coupling a hard disk drive 1012 and a removable memory drive 1014 to system bus 005.
• removable memory drives 1014 include magnetic disk drives and optical disk drives.
• the drives and their associated computer-readable media, such as a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) 1016 provide non-volatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer system 1 00.
• a single hard disk drive 1012 and a single removable memory drive 1014 are shown for illustration purposes only and with the understanding that the computer system 1000 may include several of such drives.
• the computer system 1000 may include drives for interfacing with other types of computer readable media.
• the computer system 1000 may include additional interfaces for connecting devices to system bus 1006.
• FIG. 10 shows a universal serial bus (USB) Interface 101 ⁇ which may be used to couple a device to the system bus 1006.
• An IEEE 1394 interface 1 20 may be used to couple additional devices to the computer system 1000.
• the computer system 1000 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers or other devices, such as a server, a router, a network personal computer, a peer device or other common network node, a wireless telephone or wireless personal digital assistant
• the computer 1000 includes a network interface 1022 that couples system bus 1006 to a local area network (LAN) 1024.
• LAN local area network
• a wide area network such as the Internet
• network connections shown and described are exemplary and other ways of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.
• the existence of any of various well-known protocols, such as Frame Relay, Ethernet, TCP/IP, FTP, HTTP and the like, is presumed, and the computer system 1000 can be operated in a client-server configuration to permit a user to retrieve web pages from a web-based server.
• any of various conventional web browsers can be used to display and manipulate data on web pages.
• the operation of the computer system 1000 can be controlled by a variety of different program modules.
• program modules are routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
• the present invention may also be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, mainframe computers, personal digital assistants and the like.
• the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
• program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
• the invention is particularly well suited to facilitating the purchase of clothing in an on-line shopping environment, using a mannequin that can be adjusted to accurately reflect the body of a customer to aid in their assessment of the look and fit of garments before committing to purchasing the article of clothing.
• a customer may use a personal communications device such as a personal computer, a personal digital assistant or a suitably equipped cell phone to review a range of clothing offered for sale by an on-line retailer and may, subsequent to providing data representing their outer physical dimensions, request images of various articles of clothing fitted to a mannequin adjusted to their size.
• a sales assistant may also provide guidance regarding the customer's selection of articles of clothing and may suggestretemative articles or perhaps altemative sizes that may better suit the customer.
• a customer operates software executing on the personal communications device to effect the steps required to select and request the fitment of articles of clothing to a mannequin and to order or decline the purchase of articles of clothing subsequent to reviewing images of same.
• the customer may request alterations to the article of clothing to better suit their body shape and size.
• the mannequin may be manufactured with any one or more of a range of sensors to provide quantitative performance data.
• the mannequin 10a may be formed by one or more shape forming techniques including one- step techniques and reusable techniques.
• the one-step techniques may be exact and may require assembly of parts onto a skeleton.
• 3D rapid prototyping in which successive layers of material are added to form a 3D exact replica of the person.
• 3D rapid prototyping include selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography apparatus (SLA); 3D printing; and/or injection moulding.
• the 3D printing may utilise a plastic material in a hot melted state. Plastic material is heated and forced under high pressure into mould.
• the material is allowed to cool to a solid and ejected from the mould.
• the vacuum forming may comprise producing a thin plastic shell representing the exact body shape by drawing hot plastic sheets against a shaped mould.
• a further example of a one-step technique is inflatable plastic.
• the inflatable plastic may comprise converting the 3D body scan data so that a 2D plastic sheet cutting machine cuts front and back (or more) panels. These panels are fastened together and the whole part then inflated to produce a full size replica of the human body.
• Yet another example of a one-step technique is a static building block.
• Static building blocks utilise a library of limb and torso parts in various shapes and sizes.
• the 3D body data is analysed and parts that closely resemble the scanned data are Identified for selection.
• the operator selects the desired parts and attaches them to a skeleton prior to fitting the clothes.
• the reusable techniques may require a course and fine adjustment range.
• the course adjustment may achieve a close to approximation the large dynamic range of the population, and the fine adjustment may achieve the fine variations to accurately replicate the customer outer body counter.
• These reusable techniques generally have an adjustable skeleton structure to achieve limb (arms and legs) & torso lengths and an adjustable form technology to give the shape around the skeleton.
• pneumatic and/or hydraulic cells One example of a reusable technology is pneumatic and/or hydraulic cells.
• the pneumatic and/or hydraulic ceils may expand or contract with pneumatic or hydraulic pressure and may be used to provide course and fine adjustment of the body shape. Fine adjustment is achieved by individually controlling each cell.
• electro and/or mechanical blocks may use a combination of electrical and mechanical actuators to form both the course and fine adjustment shapes.
• An example of a course adjustment Is a motor and gearbox drive system adapted to mannequin 10a. In this case electrically powered actuators may be controlled to provide the shape sizes.
• Another example of a reusable technique is to utilise cables and/or rope to form the outer perimeter (or bands) of the body shape.
• Multiple cables and/or rope may be stacked vertically to form a human body in a standing position with the cable/rope linked through eyelets woven into the inside of the skin.
• Multiple motor/ropes for a single slice could be used to produce irregular shapes suitable to imitate the various body's forms.
• the sensor may comprise detecting a pressure applied to the ropes.
• the clothing and/or adornments according to the present Invention includes footwear such as, shoes and boots.
• footwear such as, shoes and boots.
• movable piston sensors 22 may be used to represent a person's foot and would enable the user to see how the shoe or foot would appear and also indicate to the user whether the footwear would be comfortable.
• the present invention may be applied to incomplete mannequins or at the very least to individual body parts.
• different clothing and or footwear shops may only need a part of the body.
• a retail outlet that sells watches may only wish to have a representative arm to show potential purchasers what a watch may look like on their arm.
• jewellery shops may wish to have a representative hand.
• the shop may email their clients a catalogue illustrating what a piece of jewellery may look like on their hand or wrist.
• footwear retail outlets and those providing gloves and hats may be used to provide a catalogue illustrating what a piece of jewellery may look like on their hand or wrist.
• the invention is particularly useful for on-line shopping for articles of manufactured clothing, It may also be used in instances where a customer requires clothing to be tailor made.
• the customer has their outer physical dimensions measured and supplies same to a tailor who is equipped with a mannequin.
• the tailor may then receive instructions from the customer regarding the garment required and may provide the tailor with their outer physical dimensions.
• the tailor may then proceed to make the garment using the mannequin adjusted to the customer's physical size while receiving feedback from the mannequin that the garment fits comfortably.
• tailors would need to have access to a mannequin, however, the use of the invention in this example substantially reduces the requirement for the customer to make repeated trips to the tailor for fitting sessions.
• One particular example where this would be considered most useful would be the design and making of wedding dresses.
• the tailor could be remote from the customer yet still able to commence the manufacture of a garment.
• the tailor could be overseas as compared with the location of the customer or perhaps, country or regional based customers could provide data pertaining to their outer physical dimensions to a tailor in the city.
• This particular embodiment also applies to instances where a customer requires alterations to an existing article of clothing and may send the article to a tailor.
• the tailor may be able to accurately alter the garment by using the adjustable mannequin along wth up to date data regarding the customer's outer physical dimensions.
• the tailer may also make use of the quantitative performance data collected from the sensors whilst making or altering clothing for a customer, thus reducing the likelihood that further adjustments will be required.
• the tailor may control the mannequin to adopt a number of poses and may adjust clothing to suit the range of movements by the customer
• the Invention is also useful for in-shop retail outlets where customers prefer to avoid the fitting of garments. This is also beneficial to the shop keeper as it prevents soiling of garments. In the event that a garment does not fit as well as expected by the customer, an adjustable mannequin may then be used to determine the alterations required to suit the customer.

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• 2011
  • 2011-08-29 WO PCT/AU2011/001117 patent/WO2012024745A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2011-08-29 AU AU2011293106A patent/AU2011293106B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2011-08-29 CN CN201180053045.XA patent/CN103260447B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-08-29 EP EP11819207.9A patent/EP2608688A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2011-08-29 JP JP2013526277A patent/JP2013538945A/ja active Pending
  • 2011-08-29 US US13/819,627 patent/US20130238285A1/en not_active Abandoned

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