Directed color standard and method for using same
View Patent ↗The present invention discloses a method for establishing a directed color standard. Color reflectance data is measured from a fabric to construct an initial color standard. Because all fabrics have inherent quality fluctuations, a second series of color reflectance measurements are taken at various locations on a fabric. The second series of color data is used to establish a narrower, directed color standard. The directed color standard can be used by an entity to more efficiently utilize a plurality of third party colored product providers because using the directed color standard results in fewer product rejections based on color deviation.
1. A method for managing color comprising the steps of:
establishing a directed color standard;
wherein said directed color standard is established by providing a fabric with a color;
measuring color reflectance data of said color a first time;
establishing a color standard for said color using said color reflectance data of said color;
measuring color reflectance data of said fabric a second time; and
establishing a directed color standard using said color reflectance data of said fabric;
communicating said directed color standard to an entity;
receiving at least one product from said entity,
wherein said product is produced using said directed color standard; and
comparing said product to said directed color standard.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of accepting said product after comparing said product to said directed color standard.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of rejecting said product after comparing said product to said directed color standard.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said product is selected from the group consisting of natural fabric, synthetic fabric, or a combination thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said entity is selected from the group consisting of a dye house, a fabric mill, or a combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing said product to said directed color standard is selected from the group consisting of visual inspection, digital inspection, spectrophotometric inspection, or a combination of visual inspection and spectrophotometric inspection.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein color reflectance data is measured using a Spectrophotometer.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of establishing a color standard is accomplished by a software program.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of establishing a directed color standard is accomplished by a software program.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein said directed color standard is stored in a database.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of communicating said directed standard is selected from the group consisting of: electronic communication, posting on a website, or physical delivery.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein said directed color standard is derived using a weighted average.