Product customization system and method
A product customization system and method are provided in which a consumer can insert user content, such as images or text, onto a product, such as a shoe, and then view the customized product before purchasing the customized product.
1. A computer implemented system for designing and producing a customized product, comprising:
a computer having a memory;
a product renderer portion, executed by the computer, that generates a visual three dimensional representation of a finished product using one or more two dimensional design areas of the product with the user content rendered in three dimensions and the visual three dimensional representation of a finished product with the user content is displayed using the user interface portion, wherein the product renderer portion also generates a product description based on the one or more design areas of the product with the user content;
a manufacturing product rendering portion, executed by the computer, that, based on the product description, generates one or more manufacturing files including a layout of the one or more design areas with user content of the product, a cutting of the one or more design areas with user content of the product and a set of assembly instructions for the one or more design areas with user content of the product; and
a manufacture portion that produces the customized product based on the one or more manufacturing files.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the manufacture portion prints the user content on a piece of material; cuts the piece of material into the one or more design areas of the product and assembles the one or more design areas of the product into an assembled customized product.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user interface portion that allows the user to choose product attributes.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the product attributes are one of trim color and accessories.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the product renderer portion provides a rendering of user selected trim colors and accessories.
6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the manufacture portion prints the user content on a piece of material; cuts the piece of material into the one or more design areas of the product and assembles the one or more design areas of the product into an assembled customized product and wherein the manufacture portion constructs the product with the trim colors provided in the product description, and adds or assembles accessories provided in the product description.
7. A method for designing and producing a customized product, the method comprising:
generating, using a product renderer portion of the computer-based customized product unit, a visual three dimensional representation of a finished product using the one or more two dimensional design areas of the product with the user content rendered in three dimensions and the visual three dimensional representation of a finished product with the user content is displayed using the user interface portion;
generating, using the product renderer portion of the computer-based customized product unit, a product description based on the one or more design areas of the product with the user content;
generating, using a manufacturing product rendering portion of the computer-based customized product unit, one or more manufacturing files including a layout of the one or more design areas with user content of the product, a cutting of the one or more design areas with user content of the product and a set of assembly instructions for the one or more design areas with user content of the product based on the product description; and
manufacturing, using a manufacture portion, the customized product based on the one or more manufacturing files.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the manufacturing further comprises printing the user content on a piece of material; cutting the piece of material into the one or more design areas of the product and assembling the one or more design areas of the product into an assembled customized product.
9. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating, using a user interface portion of a computer-based customized product unit, a user interface so that one or more two dimensional design areas of a product are created with user content that comprises one or more of a color, a tiled image, a photograph and a user designed image.