US 12,242,623 B2
Secure three-dimensional print files
Nicholas Peter Lajeunesse, Hollis, NH (US); David Steven Benhaim, Cambridge, MA (US); and Arthur Edward Plummer, Quincy, MA (US)
Assigned to MARKFORGED, INC., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by MARKFORGED, INC., Watertown, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/840,514.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/210,106, filed on Jun. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0398335 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 21/62 (2013.01); G06F 21/10 (2013.01); G06F 21/31 (2013.01); G06F 21/60 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 21/6209 (2013.01) [G06F 21/10 (2013.01); G06F 21/31 (2013.01); G06F 21/608 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of securely performing 3-dimensional (3D) printing, the method comprising:
displaying, by a computing system, a list of items available for 3D printing to a user;
receiving, by the computing system, a selection, from the user, of a particular item from the list of items;
authenticating, by the computing system, an acquisition of the particular item by the user;
sending, from the computing system to a 3D printer of the user, a secure 3D print file, the secure 3D print file including a description of 3D geometry of the particular item, a description of access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item, and secure access controls preventing unauthorized access to 3D printing of the particular item, the description of the access restrictions indicating a maximum number of times that the user is permitted to print the selected item;
authenticating, by the 3D printer, that the user has acquired the particular item and validating, by the 3D printer, that the access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item do not restrict 3D printing of the particular item by the 3D printer, wherein validating includes:
the 3D printer obtaining, from the computing system, a count of a number of times that the user has already printed the selected item and
verifying that the count obtained from the computing system does not exceed the maximum number;
in response to authenticating and validating by the 3D printer, constructing the particular item by the 3D printer using the description of 3D geometry of the particular item;
in response to completion of constructing the particular item by the 3D printer, inspecting, by the 3D printer, the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer;
communicating inspection results from the 3D printer to the computing system; and
in response to the computing system determining that the inspection results indicate that the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer meets quality assurance standards indicative of successful completion of printing the particular item, incrementing the count of the number of times that the user has already printed the selected item.