Virtual room use simulator and room planning system

• US 8,140,989 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohen, Jason C., Tower, Theodore T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US12/388,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A room planning system for simulating the use of products during the performance of an activity in a room space is disclosed. The system includes a virtual room space comprising a virtual representation of an actual room space, an environment database having a collection of environment data defining attributes of the actual room space, and a product database having a collection of product data defining attributes of at least one product to be used for performing an activity in the room space. The system includes a user interface for selecting a virtual product and arranging the virtual product in the virtual room space. A simulation generator is programmed to simulate the performance of an activity in the virtual room space and to provide a feasibility analysis of the activity based at least in part on the arrangement of the virtual product in the virtual room space.

Claims

1. A nursery room planning system, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions for execution by said processor including;

a virtual nursery room space comprising a virtual representation of an actual nursery room space,

an environment database comprising a collection of environment data, the environment data comprising attributes of the actual nursery room space, wherein the environment database comprises a collection of virtual objects, the virtual objects comprising virtual representations of furniture, appliances, or fixtures placed in the actual nursery room;

a product database comprising a collection of virtual disposable products, the virtual disposable products comprising virtual representations of actual disposable products used during a baby changing event;

a user interface for selecting a virtual disposable product and arranging the virtual disposable product in the virtual nursery room space; and

a simulation generator for providing a simulation of the baby changing event in the virtual nursery room space, the simulation generator being programmed to provide a feasibility analysis of the baby changing event based at least in part on the arrangement of the virtual disposable product in the virtual room space;

wherein the feasibility analysis comprises calculating a safety zone surrounding the location adjacent the baby changing event;

determining whether the virtual disposable product is located outside the safety zone; and

providing a notification that the arrangement of virtual disposable products in the nursery room space is not feasible if the virtual disposable product is located outside the safety zone.

2. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the feasibility analysis further comprises determining the number of movements an individual will have to make during the baby changing event;

comparing the number of movements to a threshold value; and

providing a notification that the arrangement of virtual disposable products in the nursery room space is not feasible if the number of movements exceeds the threshold value.

3. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the feasibility analysis comprises providing a notification of for an alternative arrangement of the virtual disposable product in the nursery room.

4. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the simulation is interactive.

5. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to allow a user to select a virtual object and arrange the virtual object in the virtual nursery room space, the simulation and feasibility analysis being based at least in part on the arrangement of the virtual object in the virtual nursery room space.

6. The nursery room planning system of claim 5, wherein the feasibility analysis comprises suggestions for providing a notification of an alternative arrangement for the virtual object in the virtual nursery room space.

7. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the environment database or the product database is linked with a retail database.

8. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the virtual disposable product comprises a virtual representation of a diaper, baby wipe, lotion, baby powder, or clothes.

9. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the virtual object comprises a virtual representation of a crib, changing table, chair, closet space, dresser, end table, diaper pale or other item of furniture.

10. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the environment data further comprises user attribute data defining attributes of an anticipated user of the actual nursery room space, the feasibility analysis calculating the safety zone surrounding the location of the baby changing event based at least in part on the user attribute data.

11. The nursery room planning system of claim 1, wherein the simulation generator is configured to provide different feasibility analyses based at least in part on different stages of development for a baby.

12. A method for simulating use of a disposable product during a baby changing event in a nursery room space, the method comprising:

receiving environment data to include in a virtual room-use simulation, the environment data comprising attributes of a nursery room space;

receiving disposable product data to include in a virtual room-use simulation, the disposable product data to be used during a baby changing event in the nursery room space;

generating a virtual nursery room space based on the environment data, the virtual room space comprising a virtual representation of an actual nursery room space;

generating at least one virtual disposable product based on the disposable product data, the virtual disposable product comprising a virtual representation of an actual disposable product used during the baby changing event;

receiving a user input directed to the arrangement of the at least one virtual disposable product in the virtual room space;

generating a simulation of the baby changing event in the virtual nursery room space;

calculating a safety zone surrounding the location adjacent the baby changing event;

determining whether the virtual disposable product is located outside the safety zone; and

providing a notification that the arrangement of virtual disposable products in the nursery room space is not feasible if the virtual disposable product is located outside the safety zone.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises:

determining an alternative arrangement for the at least one virtual disposable product in the nursery room space such that the virtual disposable product falls within the safety zone; and

providing a notification of the alternative arrangement to a user.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises receiving the environment data or the disposable product data from a retail database.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein calculating the safety zone surrounding the location of the baby changing event comprises:

receiving user attribute data defining attributes of an anticipated user of the actual nursery room space; and

calculating the safety zone based at least in part on the user attribute data.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein calculating the safety zone surrounding the location of the baby changing event comprises:

receiving data associated with different stages of development of the baby; and

calculating the safety zone based at least in part on the data associated with different stages of development of the baby.

17. A method for simulating use of a disposable product during a baby changing event in a nursery room space, the method comprising:

receiving environment data to include in a virtual room-use, the environment data comprising attributes of a nursery room space;

receiving disposable product data to include in a virtual room use simulation, the disposable product data to be used during a baby changing event in the room space;

generating a virtual nursery room space based on the environment data, the virtual room space comprising a virtual representation of an actual nursery room space;

generating at least one virtual disposable product based on the disposable product data, the virtual disposable product comprising a virtual representation of an actual disposable product used during the baby changing event;

receiving a user input directed to the arrangement of the at least one virtual disposable product in the virtual room space;

generating a simulation of the baby changing event in the virtual nursery room space;

calculating the number of movements an individual will have to make during the baby changing event;

comparing the number of movements to a threshold value; and

providing a notification that the arrangement of virtual disposable products in the nursery room space is not feasible if the number of movements exceeds the threshold value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises:

determining an alternative arrangement for the at least one virtual disposable product in the nursery room space such that the number of movements do not exceed the threshold value; and

providing a notification of the alternative arrangement to a user.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises receiving the environment data or the disposable product data from a retail database.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein calculating the number of movements an individual will have to make during the baby changing event comprises:

receiving user attribute data defining attributes of an anticipated user of the actual nursery room space; and

calculating the number of movements based at least in part on the user attribute data.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein calculating the number of movements an individual will have to make during the baby changing event comprises:

receiving data associated with different stages of development of the baby; and

calculating the number of movements based at least in part on the data associated with different stages of development of the baby.