Method of constructing a virtual construction model

• US 7,596,473 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Original Assignee: Interlego, AG (Kirkbi A/S)
• Inventors: Hansen, Mark William, Pallesen, Lisbeth Valther, Scherer, Ronny
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jacob; Mary C
• Application Number:
  US11/285,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

A method of constructing a virtual construction model, comprising: displaying a plurality of construction elements corresponding to respective types of construction elements, allowing a user to select one or more instances of each of the types of construction elements; maintaining a counter of available elements for each type of construction elements; decrementing said counter of available elements of a type of construction elements each time a user selects a construction element of said type; providing an indication to the user when the available number of construction elements of one of the types of construction elements has been used in the virtual construction model.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a virtual construction model, comprising:

displaying a virtual building area, the virtual building area allowing a user to assemble a virtual construction model;

displaying a plurality of construction elements corresponding to respective types of construction elements, allowing a user to select one or more instances of each of the types of construction elements and to place the selected one or more instances in the virtual building area;

maintaining a counter of available elements for each type of construction element;

decrementing said counter of available elements of a type of construction element each time a user selects a construction element of said type and places the selected construction element in the virtual building area;

providing an indication to the user when the available number of construction elements of one of the types of construction elements has been used in the virtual construction model.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising

allowing a user to select one or more active sets of construction elements from a collection of available sets of construction elements, each set of construction elements including one or more construction elements of one or more types of construction elements;

and

responsive to a user-selection of an active set of construction element, incrementing the counter of each type of construction element by the number of construction elements of said type in the selected active set of construction elements.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving information about one or more available sets of construction elements.

4. A data processing system suitably configured to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1, wherein the system comprise a processor, a memory and a display.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising preventing further selection and placement in the virtual building area of a construction element of a type of construction element for which the corresponding counter has reached zero.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the corresponding counter associated with each type of construction element.

5. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions adapted to cause, when executed on a data processing system, the data processing system to perform a method of constructing a virtual construction model including:

displaying a virtual building area, the virtual building area allowing a user to assemble a virtual construction model;

displaying a plurality of construction elements corresponding to respective types of construction elements, allowing a user to select one or more instances of each of the types of construction elements and to place the selected one or more instances in the virtual building area;

maintaining a counter of available elements for each type of construction element;

decrementing said counter of available elements of a type of construction element each time a user selects a construction element of said type and places the selected construction element in the virtual building area;

providing an indication to the user when the available number of construction elements of one of the types of construction elements has been used in the virtual construction model.