WO2005026863A2

WO2005026863A2 - Method for generating a non-periodic visual pattern

Info

Publication number: WO2005026863A2
Application number: PCT/CA2004/001626
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arlene Stamp
Original assignee: Studiostampa Inc.
Priority date: 2003-09-18
Filing date: 2004-09-16
Publication date: 2005-03-24
Also published as: WO2005026863A3

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic means of generating a non-periodic pattern for use as a visual design, wherein this form of design can be used with a wide-range of commercial products, for example textiles, carpets, wallpaper, glass, lighting, etc. The design that is created by the present invention can be expressed in one, two, or three dimensions. The design can be printed, painted or applied onto a surface such as a carpet, woven throughout the material such as threads woven into a fabric, or pressed, etched or embossed into a material. The fabrication of products having this form of non-periodic pattern design can provide a product that is continuously interesting to view due to the constant changes in the visual appearance without repetition thereof.

Description

METHOD FOR GENERATING A NON-PERIODIC VISUAL PATTERN

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of software enabling the generation of non- periodic designs for integration into commercial products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The attractiveness or desirability of a covering material such as a carpet, wallpaper, glass, fabric, clothing, etc. is largely dependent upon the design of the substrate, whether it is fabric, paper, stone, etc. In general, pieces of art, are valued because of their unique design; individuals will pay more for "original" artwork, due to the fact that it is one of a kind. Commercial products however, are difficult to generate in significant quantities when an original design is used.

For example, the manufacture of decorative area carpets, rugs, mats, carpet tile, and other textile substrates is performed by textile patterning processes utilizing various weaving, tufting or printing processes. Among the latter are automated patterning machines in which a plurality of individually controllable color dye jets or ink flow valves are coordinated to receive electronically-defined dye dispensing instructions that render a patterned image upon the substrate.

One such machine, comprises an array or matrix of stationary color dye applicators, each of which provides a flow of dye material that may be interrupted at precisely- defined times so that the appropriate amount of dye material may be applied to the appropriate location on a moving fibrous pile substrate to accurately render a color pattern thereon. Other machines of somewhat different design provide for the controlled direct application of pre-determined quantities of color dyes (perhaps defined by pattern data or manufacturing experience) to areas of the substrate through the use of one or more sets of dye valves that either are stationary or that traverse across the face of the substrate to be patterned. Yet other machines, specifically various Jacquard or solenoid-actuated weaving machines or graphics tufting machines, are specifically adapted for the detailed patterning of textiles through the use of colored yarns that are placed automatically into pattern-specified, pixel-like locations.

Currently, customers or users wanting patterned or decorative carpets, rugs, mats, carpet tile, or other textile substrates refer to a sales brochure or samples, whether offline, e.g., at a retail store or wholesale entity, or electronically, e.g., via an Internet web site. Whether in "hard copy" (e.g., paper) or electronic form, the sales brochure typically provides a menu of inventoried textile substrates (e.g., carpets or rugs) that have pre-defined patterns, images or decorations from which the customer may select. In certain instances, the customer may be provided with some degree of customization. For example, after selection of the design or image that is to form the desired subject of the patterned substrate, the customer may select from among a predetermined number of choices of color schemes, and, in addition, select a substrate size, if available in the maintained inventory of the supplier. In some circumstances, additional choices may be available, such as special color or design modifications, or the addition of standardized or customized text, perhaps at a higher cost. Selection and/or customization of decorative textile substrates in this manner may be limited, in that the customer may not be provided with a large number of options from which to choose.

While user manipulation of digitized graphic images is well-known in the photographic and graphic design arts to enable creations that are intended to be printed on paper or other two-dimensional media, e.g., through the use of design software that provides digitized image editing and manipulation functions such as Adobe Photoshop™, Corel Draw™, and the like, such an image edit/manipulation tool has not been used as an aid in the manufacture of decorative area carpets, rugs, mats, carpet tile, interior furnishing fabrics, and other textile substrates.

It would thus be highly desirable to provide a system and process that enables the design of unique rugs, carpets, carpet tiles, dust control mats, furniture upholstery, wall hangings, drapes and other window treatments, or other textile substrates, and to initiate the manufacture of such textile products with the economy ordinarily associated with mass production, without the need for the manufacturer to maintain an inventory of such items.

It would also be desirable to provide a system that enables users of such a system, whether they are skilled designers or unskilled in the design arts, to customize an order for initiating the manufacture of carpets, rugs, mats, carpet tiles, dust control mats, furniture upholstery, wall hangings, drapes and other window treatments, or other textile substrates with designs, patterns or images of their choice, in a convenient, expedient manner.

Conventionally, the process of electronically controlled injection of dye into a textile substrate such as a carpet involves the creation of a set of computer data including the specification of the design, the process colors, the desired colors, the substrate, and any textile finishing specifications. This computer data is used to create any number of replicates of the finished product, with all items of the finished product being identical within manufacturing limitations. Currently, there is no mechanism for individualizing single items within the computer data to accommodate the creation of a customized textile item in such a manufacturing process. Such customization could include the addition of strings of text coupled with design elements such as custom colors and customer-specified images strategically placed on the textile surface to create an individualized end-product, as communicated by the customer.

Apart from the desirability of enabling a manufacturer or customer to have direct input of customized data in the manufacturing process, it would be highly desirable, from a manufacturing cost perspective, to provide a mechanism for enabling the resulting customization of these textile products to be specified and tracked on an item-by-item basis within the context of a larger, over-arching single product specification. Additionally, it would be highly desirable to provide means for enabling the creation of a customized product without significantly increasing the cost to produce it as compared with the cost of a similar mass produced product.

United States Patent Application 2003/0139840 describes a system and method for enabling customer specification of images to be used for decorating textile substrates at the economies of mass customization. An automated patterning apparatus is implemented that comprises a plurality of individual colorant substances that are directed through a set of colorant applicators in accordance with predetermined pattern data, the colorant substances capable of being selectively applied to individual pixels on the substrate in accordance with the predetermined pattern data. The system and method particularly implements a device providing an interface for enabling remote access to an image manipulation design tool that enables μser customization of the digitized image to form a target image over a communications network. A digitized image of the user's choice is imported into the image manipulation design tool and that image is manipulated according the user's artistic vision.

Hishimoto et al. in U.S. 5,959,632 has shown how the use of fractal based pattern to produce tiles which allow patterns to extend within a range of tiles. By specific arrangement, defined patterns can be produced. In this method, coordinate address is generated which specifies the position in a square original tile area where pattern data is to be written for each pixel, and a check is made to determine if the coordinate address is adjacent any one of sides of the original tile area. When the written pixel is adjacent any one of sides of the original tile area, the position of a pixel is calculated which is adjacent the written pixel on another tile area adjacent the original tile area along that side, and the position of the adjacent pixel when the adjacent tile area is laid on the original tile area is calculated as a shifted position of the adjacent pixel. The positions of the written pixel and the shifted position are rotated predetermined angle about the center of a polygon at least once to obtain rotational positions. Pixel values are additionally written at these shift and rotational positions. Fadden in U.S. 6,545,686 has shown how a cache memory in a computer can aid in the generation of diagrams based on pixels. This methodology uses a novel cache memory allowing a high texture calculation rate while using a low cost single bank DRAM hardware. In accordance with this invention, pixels are processed in a cluster, for example by processing pixels within a region as a cluster of pixels, with the regions of pixels arranged in a fixed gridwork across the area of the display with fixed, unchanging boundaries. All polygon-pixels occurrences within a region are processed together in one operation. Texture processing for all polygon-pixels within a region are broken down in to a set of information gathering operations for all polygon-pixels within the region, followed by a high speed fetching of all needed texels to process the entire region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 illustrates a woven pattern produced by the use of binary numbers to define the colours and weave.

Figure 2(a) shows the overlay of 2 square grids, providing the basis for an intersecting grid pattern.

Figure 2(b) shows the intersecting grid pattern of Figure 2(a) with alternating squares of white and black.

Figure 2(c) shows the intersecting grid pattern of Figure 2(a) with 4 colours.

Figure 3(a) is an example of pattern produced by a cellular automata algorithm.

Figure 3(b) is a modification of Figure 3(a) in which each cell has been divided into 4 new cells.

Figure 4(a) shows a 9 cell Hadamard matrix using 4 colours. Figure 4(b) shows an 81 cell matrix based on Figure 4(a), where each cell has been divided into 9 new cells.

Figure 4(c) shows a 729 cell matrix based on Figure 4(b), where each cell has been divided into 9 new cells.

Figure 4(d) shows a 6561 cell matrix based on Figure 4(c), where each cell has been divided into 9 new cells.

Figure 4(e) provides examples of patterns derived from the matrix of Figure 4(d) using a variety of different colours.

Figure 5(a) provides the basic method for the formation of a recursive stripe.

Figure 5(b) shows a resulting stripe, wherein the stripe pattern is divided into modular parts and these modular parts are assembled in a desired manner.

Figure 5(c) shows another example of a different resulting stripe, modules and assembly into an overlaid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an electronic means of generating a non-periodic pattern for use as a visual design, wherein this form of design can be used with a wide-range of commercial products, for example textiles, carpets, wallpaper, glass, lighting, etc. The design that is created by the present invention can be expressed in one, two, or three dimensions. The design can be printed, painted or applied onto a surface such as a carpet, woven throughout the material such as threads woven into a fabric, or pressed, etched or embossed into a material. The fabrication of products having this form of non-periodic pattern design can provide a product that is continuously interesting to view due to the constant changes in the visual appearance without repetition thereof. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an electronic means of generating a non-periodic pattern for use as a visual design, wherein this form of design can be used with a wide-range of commercial products, for example textiles, carpets, wallpaper, glass, lighting, etc. The design that is created by the present invention can be expressed in one, two, or three dimensions. The design can be printed, painted or applied onto a surface such as a caφet, woven throughout the material such as threads woven into a fabric, or pressed, etched or embossed into a material. The fabrication of products having this form of non-periodic pattern design can provide a product that is continuously interesting to view due to the constant changes in the visual appearance without repetition thereof.

The methodology of the creation of the non-periodic pattern design is captured in software, and as such the method of pattern creation can be directly interconnected with industrial machinery that is used to create the carpet, wallpaper, textiles, etc., thereby 'enabling large-scale production of a product carrying this non-periodic pattern design. Alternatively, the software can be used to direct an apparatus to generate a visual template of the pattern design that can be used by a machine or a person to generate a product.

Mathematical Methodologies

There are a number of methodologies that can be used as a basis for the generation of a non-periodic pattern design according to an aspect of the present invention. Examples of the mathematical methodologies include the use of fractals, cell structure, cellular automata and tri-hadamards, however other mathematical methodologies would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art.

Fractals: Specifically, fractals are curves or geometrical figures wherein each part thereof has the same statistical character as the whole, wherein these forms are non- periodic, recursive and non-predictive. As such fractals can provide a means for automatically generating a visual pattern design that, due to its fractal nature, is self- similar at different levels of magnification. Through the use of fractals and the self similar aspects thereof to produce a product having a visual pattern according to the present invention, these products can be suitable for use in a room regardless of its size, in addition to being continuously interesting to view due to the constant changes in the visual appearance without repetition thereof.

Cell Structure: The patterns produced by this mathematical methodology are based on a cell like structure that are arranged in on, two or three dimensions. For example in two dimensions, wherein a cell shape is rectangular, the visual pattern design can be an arrangement of cells in an orthogonal pattern, and as such can resemble a chess board, without the periodic nature thereof, hi one dimension, the structure is a single line of cells, whereas in three dimensions the structure can be considered similar to an office tower construction of multiple horizontal layers of cells.

In this embodiment of the present invention, each of the cells in a structure or visual pattern design, has a value. For example, if the cell structure is based on 2 types of cells, a cell can be assigned a numerical number of 1 or 0, a sign of positive or negative, or a colour of white or black, for example. Optionally, more than 2 different types of colours or shades thereof can be generated by combining 2 or 4 cells, thereby resulting in 4 or 16 options, respectively.

In one embodiment of the invention, there are two basic methods by which a cell structure can be defined. In a first configuration, a cell structure represents results of a process or a series of calculations, and as such a pattern design is produced from the arrangement of cells and the values of the cells. The values associated with each cell is converted to a colour or shade thereof in order to define the visual pattern design, represented by the cell structure. In a second configuration, the information stored in a cell structure is used as a starting point for a series of calculations resulting in the calculation of new cell values in the next stage, based on a set of rules previously chosen. As such, a new arrangement of values within the cells is created, wherein this series of calculations can be performed as many times as desired. Again the values within a particular cell can be replaced with a corresponding colour or shade thereof in order to define the pattern design that has been created.

As would be readily understoold, cell structures and cell shapes within a particular pattern design are not limited to any particular shape and can be square, rectangular, triangular, hexagon octagon and the like and additionally do not have to be of equal size. However, a particular criteria that must be upheld is the fact that a pattern area or volume must be fully covered by cells, without any overlap thereof.

Cellular Automata: Cellular Automata was introduced by John von Neumann in the 1940's, and this mathematical method provides both the mathematics and a visual concept useful in providing models for simulating a variety of aspects of the real world, by their nature typically being random and non-periodic. In one aspect of cellular automata, a grid of cells is defined, where wherein a change in a particular cell can result in a change in one or all of the neighboring cells. In one example, initial conditions for the cells in a matrix is defined and a set of rules governing how changes will take place can change in the next life of the cell structure. For example, a computer is usually used to make these calculations and display the resulting new cell structure, which can be converted to a visual pattern design.

Tri-Hadamards: This form of mathematical methodology for the creation of patterns has been described in theLeonardo magazine, Vol 26, No 1, MIT Press, 1993. Black and white Tri-Hadamards can be developed by arranging a original 9-cell matrix in subsequent iteration so that a positive version of the initial pattern is used for one of the 2 new colours and a negative version of the original matrix is used for the other. Specifically; for example, a black square in the middle of 8 surrounding white squares could represent the positive, and in the next iteration a white square in the middle of 8 surrounding black squares could represent the negative.

In one embodiment, this methodology comprises commencing with a simple striped relationship of more than 2 colours. This originating relationship does not have to be 1:1:1 since it may be any ratio of a set of colours. According to this orginating ratio, each of the original bands of colour is replaced by a complete set of colours in the originating arrangement. For every successive iteration of the pattern, the previous band of one colour is replaced by a complete set of all the colours.

To generate the striped patterns, one can move across the rows of recorded colours from column to column to column, recording the colours in a linear string, wherein this string of colours subsequently becomes the striped pattern.

Incorporation of the Methodology into Software

Through the representation of a suitable method for the creation of a non-periodic pattern as a visual design, as software programming, the integration of this type of programming into a computerised manufacturing process of can be used to create textiles, articles and products having a non-periodic pattern, h this manner, the software programming integrating this methodology, can be directly used to drive a manufacturing process. One skilled in the art, would appreciate the type of software necessary to run a particular type of fabrication machine such as a carpet mill, fabric loom, for example, wherein the software programming would be in a compatible language of the particular machine, for example

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the software programming used to create the non-periodic pattern, can be separate from the product manufacturing machine. In this embodiment, the software programming can be used to generate a specific series of descriptors that can be provided to the manufacturing machine as the contol parameter of the manufacturing process and thereby result in the production of the desired non-periodic pattern. The descriptors that are produced must be compatible with the input parameters that are accepted by the manufacturing machine that is being used. For example, the descriptors for a printing machine can include control parameters for the adjustment of dye colours and locations thereof, thereby enabling the production of the desired print pattern, hi one embodiment of the invention, software programming can produce an image of the desired non-periodic pattern, wherein this image is subsequently input into the manufacturing machine, for example through a form of intermediate scanning software which produces the required descriptors for the appropriate manufacturing machine.

Alternately, in another embodiment of the present invention, the software programming can produce an image or template for the desired non-periodic pattern, wherein this template is subsequently used for the augment or placement of elements in order to create the desired visual design. As an example, the software programming can create a template for the placement of tiles, for example ceramic tiles, wherein upon the arrangement of these tiles in the generated non-periodic pattern, the visual design can be created. As would be readily understood there would be at least two different types of tiles being used to create the visual design, for example a black tile and a white tile, or a large tile and a small tile, etc.

As would be readily understood, a variety of computing languages can be used to develop the software programming to encompass the creation of the non-periodic pattern. The programming can be based on a variety of appropriately scripted algorithms that represent the determination of the visual design pattern. This design pattern can be defined based on an initial starting point for a set of predetermined parameters, for example and an algorithm can define a series of operations for the generation of the non-periodic pattern.

In one embodiment of the invention, the software programming can be designed to be interactive thereby enabling the customisation of the non-periodic pattern designs. For example, a user of the software programming can define an initial set of parameters, and or define a particular mathematical methodology for the creation of the non-periodic pattern design. In this manner, a client that desires the creation of a product, for example carpet or wallpaper, can provide input into the design.

Software Applications

In one embodiment of the present invention, the software programming used to create a non-periodic pattern, can be integrated onto any form of storage medium for activation on any form of computing device, which may or may not be interconnected to manufacturing machinery. The storage mediums can take many forms for example, CD, DVD, floppy disk or any other as would be readily understood, by a worker skilled in the art.

By the integration of the software programming into a storage medium, transportability of the design software programming is possible. Alternately, the software programming can be used to drive a manufacturing program that is accessible over the internet, such that consumers can "custom design" their product, within for example, limitations provided by a manufacturing company that can be directly related to the manufacturing process. These restrictions can be for example minimum cell size and the like which can be based on the material being used to non- periodic pattern.

In one embodiment of the invention, the software can be used to operate a "custom design" package on a computer, for example within a store such as a carpet store. In this example, a consumer can determine the appearance of the final product based on their own preferences. Thus, in one embodiment, the invention embodies a computer- controlled system that can be capable of generating a non-periodic pattern inexpensively and quickly, in addition to producing a pattern that can be viewed by potential manufacturers and customers, prior to the fabrication of the product. The mathematic methodologies used in the generation of the patterns can allow for ease of visualisation of many alternative patterns, wherein these alternative patterns may be generated in real time. The computer-controlled system also allows easy transfer of the design data to the manufacturing facility, providing a digital output of the colours and physical layout. Coverings such as cloth, wallpaper and carpeting can be made with a high level of acceptance, because of the predictability of the finished product based on the preselected non-periodic pattern, which meets the desired criteria of the consumer based on their initial input into the design thereof.

In one embodiment of the invention, the software programming can be designed in several types of formats, for example a first format wherein all possible variables are enabled, or a second format wherein only selected variables are enabled. In one embodiment of the invention, software programming having a restricted number of variables available for adjustment can result in a reduction in the computation time required to resolve the request for a non-periodic pattern. As such this format of the software programming can be more applicable for use on a home computer, wherein computational power may be less than that of a manufacturing company's computing system. This type of software programming providing few adjusments, can provide a consumer with the ability to somewhat "custom design" their product, while maintaining particular design considerations that may be required for the feasability of manufacturing.

For example, a purchaser of a carpet may desire to select the color scheme and size of design unit to be incorporated in their carpet. The consumer would be allowed to select the size of the squares, for example, and three colors of the carpet from a list of options. The software can be used to generate the final appearance and present it to the consumer on a computer screen, for example.

Media

This technology for the creation of a non-periodic pattern integrated that is intergrated into the manufacturing process, can be used to guide the arrangement of any media that can be designed to incorporate a pattern. The types of media with which the present invention can be associated, includes but is not limited to threads woven into a fabric, cloth, felt, carpet; etchings in glass, stone, marble, plaster, paint, ink, dyes; stones, tiles, paper, or any other media that is capable of carrying a pattern.

In addition, the method by which the generated non-periodic pattern is associated . witha media can be directly related to the media itself. For example, painting, printing or etching can typically be associaed with a form of cloth or paper media for example. Alternately, the pattern can be actually woven into the product itself, such as a carpet or fabric, or it can be pressed, etched or carved into a product such as embossed paper or etched glass. There can be a variety of methods by which a desired non-periodic pattern is associated with a particular media, and the present invention is not limited by the method by which a pattern is associated with a particular media. For example, having specific regard to a cloth or fabric, the pattern can be woven therein, printed thereon or dyed therein.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the non-periodic pattern can be used for the placement of the media, wherein upon the placement of the media in the pattern the desired non-periodic visual design is created. For example, media of this type include but are not limited to tiles, stones, bricks or any other type of media that can be placed in a desired pattern as would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art.

Dimensionality and Design

The non-periodic pattern design can be expressed in one or more of a plurality of geometric unit, for example lines, squares, circles, triangles, hexagons, trapezoids, octagons and the like.

The pattern can be expressed in one, two, or three dimensions, however the dimensionality of a pattern is directly related to the item with which it is associated. For exmaple, one-dimensional pattern can be represented by an appropriately designed elongated lighting fixture. A two-dimensional pattern can be represented on wallpaper, printed products or fabrics. And a three-dimensional pattern can be represented on a carpet which includes specific patterns within the print or woven material which would represent two dimensions, but the third dimension can be respresented by a texture changes of the surface of the carpet, for example. These texture changes can be envisioned and material changes or can optionally be changes in the length of the fibres, wherein either of these vary in a non-periodic manner.

The non-periodic patterns created according to the present invention are additionally scalable.

Commercial Applications

There are a number of commercial products for which a design can be generated using this technology. Non-limiting examples of coverings include: carpets, rugs and other floor coverings; tapestries, cloth, wallpaper, glass, flooring such as wood, parquet, tile and the like.

Non-limiting examples of products that can incorporate non-periodic patterns include bedspreads, quilts, clothing (eg. shirts, pants, etc.), cards, paper, and wall paper.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the creation of a non-periodic visual pattern can be applied to wall paper for example. During the installation of this type of material, it is important that the pattern presented on the wallpaper is aligned once adhered to a wall. This aspect of the installation of this type of material enable one to essentially conceal the segments of the wall paper, resulting in a conherent image across the wall for example. As would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art, this process of installation of wallpaper can result in a consider amount of discarded material. As the present invention provides a means for the creation of a non-periodic visual pattern, the alignment of wallpaper having this type of pattern thereon, can be performed in a relatively non-sequential manner, thereby reducing waste for example.

Utility

The invention as described offers advantages that may provide benefits to the different users of this method. The computer system with an array of algorithmic tools is able to provide a wide range of options to a potential customer. These options allow the display on a monitor of a sample pattern, or using commercially available software display the end application of the covering in a computer generated room, or other such final location for the covering. Options for the generation of alternative lighting sources may be evaluated, as may the opportunity to evaluate the match to other decorative or functional items that would be colocated.

The use of a non-periodic generation method allows the potential purchaser and the salesperson to work together on deciding the desired visual pattern. Different people have varying requirements for patterns and non-periodic imagery. The method of design allows for this level to be investigated, and for the correct level to be ascertained for each customer.

The pattern generation system allows for an easy and confident transfer of the design data from the customer interface to the factory, and the high reliability of producing the correct patterns that the customer had agreed on.

The random nature of the patterns provides a powerful benefit, in allowing easy matching of parts of the pattern with other areas, such that the matching of wallpaper strip to strip, and end to end is relatively easy with minimal waste. Many of the patterns generated by this method can be matched with any other part of the pattern in any orientation. This may significantly improve the ease with which such coverings may be installed.

The reduction in waste, not only provides a saving in the cost of the coverings, but also reduces the disposal costs and environmental impact. In addition the customer may confidently order a covering without having to include a large additional area to cover the possibility of mismatches. In particular complex areas may confidently be estimated for coverings.

Many coverings suffer accidents and heavy wear, necessitating the removal of the problem area, and its replacement with a patch. With normal patterns, such a repair may involve a significant change in existing good covering in order to achieve an appropriate match. Because of the ease in providing a good match with this covering, only the damaged area need be replaced.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the creation of a pseudo random visual pattern can be applied to wall paper for example. During the installation of this type of material, it is important that the pattern presented on the wallpaper is aligned once adhered to a wall. This aspect of the installation of this type of material enable one to essentially conceal the segments of the wall paper, resulting in a conherent image across the wall for example. As would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art, this process of installation of wallpaper can result in a consider amount of discarded material. As the present invention provides a means for the creation of a pseudo random visual pattern, the alignment of wallpaper having this type of pattern thereon, can be performed in a relatively random manner, thereby reducing waste for example. EXAMPLES

EXAMPLE I: BINARY NUMBERS

One example incorporating the methodology of binary numbers is demonstrated in Figure 1. To produce this pattern, two colors are assigned to represent 1 and 0, the two elements of binary number composition. A pattern is built in grid format with each column representing successive powers of 2 (from 0 to 7 in the original diagram) in binary format with numbers from 1 (to 255 in the original diagram) on up horizontally along the rows in terms of black or whiten squares in the accompanying image from the original drawing; for example, the number 31 in binary code is represented by 2°+2¹+2²+2³+2⁴ ) so that the pattern for that row in terms of black/white squares would be five white squares followed by three black squares, reading from right to left.) The quantity of cells required for a pattern determining the required highest binary number.

As an example this method of representing binary numbers may be used to generate a woven pattern in 3 colors (black, white and grey as shown in Figure 1), with the third color (grey) representing the overlap of a black and white square. The weaving pattern is an over/under weaving of the binary number pattern (oriented horizontally) with a black and white striped pattern (oriented vertically).

EXAMPLE II: INTERSECTING GRID PATTERN

In this example, a cell structure is created by the overlaying of two orthogonal grids at an angle as shown in Figure 2(a). The resultant irregular cells are given different colors based on a simple algorithm. The two orthogonal grids are overlaid at any angle which cuts the sides of each square of one of the grids into lines of 'irrational' length (ie. the numbers which represent these lengths according to Pythagorean theory). The lengths are not able to be represented by any 'rational' number (ie. a number able to be represented by a fraction or a finite decimal). As such the pattern will not repeat itself. One angle used for these patterns was set at eleven degrees. Figure 2(b) shows how a visual design is generated by overlaying a simple black/white grid of alternating squares with a grid of black and transparent alternating squares. Figure 2(c) demonstrates how a different visual design is generated by overlaying a simple black/white grid with a grid of six colors arranged in an order which simply repeats itself when all the variations have been used up. The colors intersect in such a way as to never allow any black or white subsection to touch another or any colored subsection to touch another. The visual design presented in Figure 2(c) overlays a simple alternating black/white grid at an angle below the top grid of colored squares (alternating with transparent squares) in such a way as to allow the bottom angled black/white grid to show through alternating squares of the top, colored grid.

EXAMPLE III: CELLULAR AUTOMATA

This example is demonstrated in Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c). In one example of cellular automata, a starting line of squares is randomly assigned values of 1 or 0 (ie represented by a black or white square). The two dimensional pattern was created line to line according to a set of rules governing whether a new square is to be black or white. Each cell represents an automaton or machine that takes on a succession of states according to a set of governing rules.

The set of rules used determines the color of the square in the new line by the colors in the three squares immediately above the square (i.e. the square above, and the neighbours of the square above): 1) if those three squares are black, then the new square is black; 2) if those three squares are white, then the new square is white; 3) if there are two white squares and one black square immediately above the new square, then it is black; 4) if there are two black squares and one white square immediately above the new square, then it is white. This set of rules will generate an ongoing, non-periodic pattern such as the one registered in the pattern in Figure 3(a).

In a variation of Wolfram's cellular automata, the four-square black/white tile, must be substituted in two different orientations for the individual black and white squares of Wolfram's pattern. Figure 3(b) shows a variation to indicating the substitution of new four-part tiles for the original black and white tiles. An example of this variation is shown in Figure 3(c).

EXAMPLE IV: TRI-HADAMARDS

Tri-Hadamards have been described in an issue of Leonardo magazine (vol 26, no 1, 1993) put out by MIT Press, which taught how nine-celled matrices of black and white squares can be evolved to produce successively intricate, non-periodic and recursive fractal pattern's. Patterns produced by such a method could be used to cover a surface.

A black and white "Tri-Hadamards pattern" can be developed by starting with a nine- cell matrix and, in each iteration, substituting a positive version of the pattern for one of the two colors and a negative version of the original matrix for the other. For example, a black square in the middle of eight surrounding white squares could represent the positive (or white square) in the next iteration and then a white square in the middle of 8 surrounding black squares could represent the negative (or black square).

In variation of this procedure, four colors are organized in such a way as to produce a self-generating, recursive, pattern in the matrix format similar to the 'Tri- Hadamards". For example, a variation on the process of developing a two color pattern can be used to accomplish the more complex task of generating a four color pattern. One procedure for generating this four color pattern consists assigning to each color a variant of the original matrix in which the role of the colors may be switched. Figure 4(a) demonstrates the first nine-cell arrangement in the originating matrix. The first iteration of the pattern uses four different arrangements of the four colors to substitute for those four colors to produce the more complex version of the pattern in the second image, shown in Figure 4(b). Using these first two steps of the pattern as the defining way of developing the pattern in successive iterations, the second and third iterations of the pattern are developed, as shown in Figures 4(c) and 4(d). Any number of iterations may be used, depending on the desired size of the pattern. Figure 4(e) shows examples of a Tri-Hadamard pattern with four different coloring schemes.

More generally, variations on the Tri-Hadamard patterns can be produced by assigning more than two colors to the cells of these nine-cell matrices and using it as a starting point for developing a recursive matrix. For example, another variation consists of substituting an entirely new arrangement for each of the colors in the inital pattern. A distinct arrangement can be made for each color and, through repeatedly substituting these arrangements for their corresponding colors, multi-colored patterns can be generated.

By considering the above methods and principles, it will be obvious that other useful pattern variations can readily be made, for example by varying the number of colors and the size of the matrices.

EXAMPLE V: RECURSIVE STRIPES

Another embodiment of the invention involves generating a pattern using a procedure that is actually a variation on a case of the Tri-Hadamard pattern, in which the originating nine-cell matrix is replaced by a set of stripes. Patterns can be made with as few as two colors.

Working with more than two colors, successive iterations of the pattern produce increasingly complex striped patterns. Figure 5(a), depicts the process of generating a color sequence for making a stripe pattern. As shown in Figure 5(a), the procedure consists of beginning with a simple striped pattern of more than two colors. The stripe is set out vertically, thus forming a column, as in Figure 5(a)(i), and will be referred to as the "originating pattern". The color elements in the originating pattern does not need to be of equal size; rather, any ratio of colors can be used. To generate the second column adjacent to the initial column, each of the original bands of color is replaced in the new column by a scaled down version of the originating pattern, as in Figure 5(a)(ii). In every successive iteration of the process, each band of one color in the previous column is replaced in the new column by the originating pattern, which is a complete set of all the colors.

To generate the striped patterns, one first moves across the rows of recorded colors from column to column to column, recording the colors in a linear sequence which defines the sequence of colors in the striped pattern. This is becomes the "straight" striped pattern, which can be split into pieces of equal length to be placed alongside each other to make an "overlaid" pattern. The "overlaid" pattern can also be cut into "modular" pieces which can then be assembled in any configuration to cover a surface.

Using three colors taken through three iterations, it is possible to produce a pattern such as the one shown in Figure 5(b). Using five colors taken through two iterations, it is possible to produce a pattern such as the one shown in Figure 5(c). It can readily be seen that other useful patterns can be produced in this manner by using any number of colors, through any number of iterations.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of generating a non-periodic pattern for use as a visual design on a product, said method using computer generated techniques comprising the steps of: a) selecting pattern parameters to serve as a basis for generating a pattern b) using computer means to generate a non-periodic pattern, using said parameters c) displaying non-periodic pattern on either an electronic screen, paper output or other suitable means; and d) transferring, the non-periodic pattern to a manufacturing device for production of the product.

2. A textile, the design of which has been produced using the method of claim 1 , wherein said textile is: a carpet, a mg, a fabric, a tapestry, a cloth.

3. A material in which a design produced using the method of claim 1 has been inserted, wherein said material is: glass, wood, stone, paper, marble, brick, plaster, felt, laminate, metal,

4. A material upon which a design produced using the method of claim 1 has been imprinted, wherein said material is caφeting, fabric, cloth, glass, wood, stone, paper, marble, brick, plaster, felt, laminate, metal,