The present invention relates to printed images, and more particularly to printed image images having three-dimensional artistic embellishments.
Embellished artwork can refer to printed graphic images onto which three dimensional artistic embellishments are then added to the surface. Most commonly, embellished artwork refers to printed copies of original artworks onto the surface of which paint or other elements are applied.
There is a need for a new method for providing printed images with three-dimensional artistic embellishments that involves less labor and is less expensive.
The figures herein are all schematic and not drawn to scale. The drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The methods of the invention relate to enhancing an image, by for example modifying a digital copy of the image. The image can be of anything, for example of a photograph, a painting, an artistic creation or any combination of the foregoing. The digital image, or the digital file of the image, can be modified, wholly or at least in certain areas, to include at least some of the attributes of artistic features or embellishments that may be present in a print of the image. Such attributes can also be referred to as aspects or elements of the artistic features or embellishments. The modifications can serve to highlight or enhance the attributes, the artistic features or embellishments or both. The modifications to the digital image or file can be made by a processor, computer or computing device. The modifications to the digital image can optionally be made in the area or region of the digital image where the artistic embellishments may be present in the print of the image, for example the print of the modified image. For example, a print of the image may include three-dimensional artistic embellishments, and the modifications to the digital image can include some or certain attributes of such embellishments. The modifications to the digital image can optionally made to additionally indicate where artistic embellishments are to be added to the print of the modified image. For example, the modified image can be projected onto a surface on to which the artistic features or embellishments are created as part of a mold-making process to create a print of the modified image with three-dimensional artistic features or embellishments.
The three-dimensional artistic embellishments can be of any suitable type, and can optionally include artistic embellishments that are or resemble three-dimensional embellishments created by an art tool, a brush, a pallet knife, a squeeze bottle, a painting tool, any tool that can apply paint, any tool that can apply a chemical or any combination of the foregoing. The three-dimensional artistic embellishments can optionally be or resemble brushstrokes, for example brushstrokes of a painting. The three-dimensional artistic embellishments herein can optionally be referred to as three-dimensional embellishments or three-dimensional features.
The attributes of the features or embellishments can be of any suitable type, and can optionally include, for example, physical attributes, topographic attributes, elevational attributes, lines, three-dimensional lines, shapes, three-dimensional shapes, surfaces, three-dimensional surfaces, color or any combination of the foregoing. Any color added in the modification of the digital image can optionally include additional color, including for example any color not present in the area or region being modified before such modification.
The methods of the invention can optionally include printing the modified image on a substrate and forming the three dimensional artistic embellishments, or features, in the substrate. The substrate can be of any suitable type, and forming the three-dimensional or embellishments, or features, in the substrate can be in any suitable manner. The substrate can optionally include any material or sheet onto which an image may be digitally printed. The substrate can optionally include any suitable flexible material or sheet, bendable material or sheet, formable material or sheet or any combination of the foregoing. The substrate can optionally include a thermoformable or thermoplastic substrate or sheet. The three-dimensional embellishments, or features, can optionally be vacuum formed into any suitable thermoformable or thermoplastic substrate or sheet.
The invention can include a modified print of an original image. A substrate or sheet, which can optionally be referred to as a substrate sheet, can be provided and the modified image, for example of the type disclose above or herein, can be printed on the sheet. The substrate or sheet can optionally include any of the substrates or sheets disclosed above or herein. Three-dimensional embellishments, or features, can optionally be formed in the substrate or sheet, for example in a plurality of areas or regions of the image. The printed image, and the digital file used to create the printed image, can include modifications from the original image, that is be modified from the original image, in at least some of the plurality of areas or regions with respect to the three-dimensional embellishments, or features. Such modifications can be of any type, and include for example, physical attributes, lines, three-dimensional lines, shapes, three-dimensional shapes, surfaces, three-dimensional surfaces, color or any combination of the foregoing. Any color added in the modification of the digital image can optionally include additional color or any color not present in the area or region being modified before such modification.
A modified printed image of the invention can be mounted on any suitable support structure of an image display. The image display can optionally have the appearance of an image substrate mounted on a wooden stretcher bar frame. The support structure can optionally have a size and shape resembling a wooden stretcher bar frame. The support structure can optionally be a wooden stretcher bar frame. The support structure can be formed from any suitable material, including paper, cardboard, paperboard, corrugated board, fiberboard, wood, metal, plastic, foam or any combination of the foregoing. The support structure can be a unitary structure, for example made from a single piece or block of material, or formed from a plurality of parts. The support structure can optionally be any of the types disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,959,812, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by this reference. The support structure can optionally be any of the types disclosed in International Application No. PCT/US21/43803, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by this reference.
The printed substrate can extend over at least the front of the support structure, and optionally over any peripheral portions of the support structure. The printed substrate can optionally extend to the back of the support structure, and be secured to the support structure by any suitable means such as an adhesive.
An optional method of the invention for enhancing an image is as follows, and shown for example in
A mold 26 can optionally be provided (see
The mold 26 can optionally pertain to the original image 21. In this regard, the mold 26 can optionally have a size and shape that can correspond to a size and shape of the original image 21. The three-dimensional features or embellishments 28 can optionally be located on the mold surface 27 so as to correspond to some or all of the areas 22 of the original image 21. For example, the first plurality of features or embellishments 28a can optionally be located on the mold surface 27 so as to correspond to the first areas 22a of the original image 21 and the second plurality of features or embellishments 28b can be located on the mold surface 27 so as to correspond to the second areas 22b of the original image 21. The first pattern 31a of first features 28a can optionally correspond to or be the same as the first pattern 23a of first areas 22a of the original image 21 and the second pattern 31b of second features 28b can optionally correspond to or be the same as the second pattern 23b of second areas 22b of the original image 21. Each three-dimensional features or embellishment 28 on the surface 27 of the mold can optionally have a two-dimensional shape that is the same, approximately the same or resembles as the two-dimensional shape of the respective area 22 of the original image 21.
The mold 26 can optionally pertain to a copy, print or version of the original image 21 on which the three-dimensional artistic features or embellishments 28 are provided. The mold 26 can optionally be formed from, or with the use of, a print, or other tangible formation, of the original image 21 on to which the three-dimensional features or embellishments 28 have been formed. The mold can optionally be formed from, or with the use of, a sheet on to which the three-dimensional features or embellishments 28 have been formed in areas that correlate to the areas 22 of the original print.
In an optional method step, the digital file of the original image 21 can be modified in at least some of the areas 22, for example as a function of the artistic feature or embellishment 28 on the mold surface 27 corresponding to such area 22. The modifications to the digital image or file can be made by a processor, computer or computing device. The digital file of the original image 21 can optionally modified in at least some of the areas 22 to resemble, reflect, enhance, emphasize or highlight at least some attribute of the artistic feature or embellishment 28 on the mold surface 27 corresponding to such area. For example, additional color can optionally be added to an area 22 of the digital file. For example, the digital file of the original image can optionally be modified to add a line, object, texture, color or any combination of the foregoing to such area to resemble, reflect, enhance, emphasize or highlight at least some attribute of the artistic feature or embellishment 28 corresponding to such area. The digital file of the original image 21 can optionally be modified in the first areas 22a in one manner with respect to the plurality of first features or embellishments 28 and in the second areas 22b in another manner with respect to the plurality of second features or embellishments 28. The modifications to the digital image can optionally resemble, reflect, enhance, emphasize or highlight at least some of the attributes of the artistic features or embellishments 28 formed on a print of the original image 21, for example from which the mold 26 was formed or utilized in the formation of the mold 26. For example, additional color can optionally be added to an area 22 of the digital file. The color may be the same as or correspond to the color in which the feature or embellishment 28, or an attribute thereof, was formed on a copy, print or version of the original image 21.
The optional step of modifying the digital file or the original image 21, which can be referred to as the digital image, provides a modified digital image or modified image 36 (see
In an optional step, the modifications to the digital original image 21 can be made before the creation of mold 26 and the modified image 36 used to indicate where artistic features or embellishments 28 are to be added to the print of the modified image 36. For example, the modified image 36 can be projected onto a surface on to which the artistic features or embellishments are created as part of the process for creating mold 26. For example, the features or embellishments 28 can be added within the confines of the modified areas of image 36. For example, original image 21 can be digitally modified to add locations of color, for example first color 37, second color 38 or both. Such two-dimensional color included in the modified image 36 can be used to identify where corresponding artistic features or embellishment 28 are to be added to the print of the modified image 36, to mold 26 or both. For example, features or embellishments 28 can be added to image 21 within the confines of the areas of added color.
In an optional step, a substrate 46 of any suitable type is provided. The substrate 46 can optionally be referred to as a thermoformable substrate or a thermoplastic substrate, for example for use with mold 26. The substrate can optionally be made from polyester, polypropylene (PP), polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a rigid PVC or any suitable thermoformable or thermoplastic material. Substrate 46 can optionally be made from any thermoformable or thermoplastic material that can be printed with conventional printing methods. Optional printing methods include digital printing, digital inkjet printing, offset printing and flexographic printing. The material of substrate 46 is optionally suitable for use in a vacuum forming process. Substrate 46 can be of any suitable size, shape and thickness. For example, the substrate can optionally have a size and shape at least as large as original image 21. Substrate 46 can optionally be a sufficiently thin film or layer such that, after any thermoforming process with mold 26, the features or embellishments on surface 26 of the mold 26 will be clearly detailed on the surface of the substrate 46. The substrate can optionally have any thickness suitable for thermoforming, for example a thickness of 0.003 inch or a thickness ranging from 0.002 to 0.020 inch.
In an optional step, a modified digital image 36 is formed on the substrate 46 in any suitable manner to form a printed substrate 47 having modified image 36 printed thereon (see
In an optional step, a vacuum system 61 can be provided (see
In an optional step, a heater or heating element 66 can be provided (see
In an optional step, mold 26 is positioned on vacuum table 62, optionally overlying vacuum surface 63 of the vacuum table to that suction or negative pressure from the vacuum table can draw air through the mold 26 (see
In an optional step, printed substrate 47 is positioned over mold 26 (see
In an optional step, the perimeter of the printed substrate 47 can be clamped to the vacuum system 61 (not shown), for example to the vacuum table 62, so that the printed substrate is held in place, for example relative to the mold 26, the vacuum table 62 or both. Such clamping can facilitate proper alignment or registration of the areas 22 of the modified image 356 with the respective three-dimensional features or artistic embellishments 28 on the mold 26 throughout the vacuum forming process. The printed substrate 47 can optionally not be clamped to the vacuum system 61, for example when the shrinking, movement or both of the printed substrate 47 results in an acceptable finished product.
In an optional step, the printed substrate 47 is heated, for example to a desired temperature, to permit deformation of the substrate 47, for example in a thermoforming step (see
In an optional step, sufficient vacuum or negative pressure is provided to vacuum table 62, for example from pump 64, to press or draw printed substrate 47 on to mold 26 to cause the features or artistic embellishments 28 on the mold to deform the printed substrate, for example in a thermoforming process or step (see
In an optional step, upon completion of the vacuum forming steps the embellished production 76 (see
Embellished reproduction 76 can be mounted on any suitable support structure of an image display. The image display can optionally have the appearance of an image substrate mounted on a wooden stretcher bar frame. The support structure can optionally have a size and shape resembling a wooden stretcher bar frame. The support structure can optionally be a wooden stretcher bar frame or any conventional support structure. The support structure can be formed from any suitable material, including paper, cardboard, paperboard, corrugated board, fiberboard, wood, metal, plastic, foam or any combination of the foregoing. The support structure can be a unitary structure, for example made from a single piece or block of material, or formed from a plurality of parts. The support structure can optionally be any of the types disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,959,812, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by this reference. The support structure can optionally be any of the types disclosed in International Application No. PCT/US21/43803, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by this reference.
The embellished reproductions described herein, which can optionally be referred to as enhanced images, are inexpensive alternatives to currently-available methods of enhancing prints or images, for example mounted prints or images, by manually adding artistic embellishments to the print or image. Use of a mold and vacuum forming technology permits multiple reproductions of a an image with three-dimensional artistic features or embellishments to be easily and inexpensively made. Modifying a digital copy of the image in areas or vicinities in which three-dimensional features or embellishments will be created in the printed image can serve to highlight, enhance or emphasize attributes of such features or embellishments.
As used herein, the terms “front,” “back,” and/or other terms indicative of direction are used herein for convenience and to depict relational positions and/or directions between the parts of the embodiments. It will be appreciated that certain embodiments, or portions thereof, can also be oriented in other positions.
In addition, the term “about” should generally be understood to refer to both the corresponding number and a range of numbers. In addition, all numerical ranges herein should be understood to include each whole integer or fraction thereof within the range. While an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments that come within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application claims priority International Application No. PCT/US2022/019039 filed Mar. 4, 2022, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/157,584 filed Mar. 5, 2021, the entire content of each of which is incorporated herein by this reference.