System and method for parametric display of modular aesthetic designs

• US 8,446,407 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Florelle, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Florelle, Inc.
• Inventors: Banschick, Kenneth, Gurulev, Andrei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K
• Application Number:
  US13/540,595
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/441, 345/589, 345/593, 705/7, 705/10, 705/14.36, 705/26, 705/26.5, 705/42, 709/229
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications

Abstract

A system and method for the aesthetic design of a modular assemblage, comprising means for providing a client graphic user interface for receiving an input for defining parameters of the modular assemblage, and for presenting an image of the defined modular assemblage; communicating a code to a server representing the defined parameters; at the server, in dependence on the communicated code, defining a set of graphic elements corresponding to the defined modular assemblage; communicating the graphic elements from the server to the client; and displaying, at the client, the graphic elements received from the server to represent the defined modular assemblage.

Claims

1. A method for designing an arrangement of a plurality of different components, each component comprising a container having a transparent wall, a decorative member having one or more selected colors from a plurality of colors, and a candy having an exterior having one or more selected colors from a plurality of colors, comprising:

receiving from a user, through a browser, a definition of the one or more selected colors of the decorative members and the one or more selected colors of the exterior of the candy, the browser communicating with a server to transmit the definition of the one or more colors and to receive information defining a presentation to the user of a graphical rendered image of at least the candy having an exterior having the one or more selected colors;

generating by the server in communication with the browser, an output description defining the one or more selected colors of the decorative members and the one or more selected colors of the exterior of the candy for a manufacturing process; and

manufacturing the plurality of different components by placing the candy within respective containers visible through the transparent wall, and affixing the decorative members to the containers, in accordance with the output description defining the one or more selected colors of the decorative members and the one or more selected colors of the exterior of the candy.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the container having the transparent wall comprises a tube and the decorative member is disposed at an end of the tube.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically guiding a selection of the one or more selected colors of the decorative members and the one or more selected colors of the exterior of the candy by the user based on at least one predefined aesthetic rule.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user defines the plurality of different components, differing in a respective selection of colors, through the graphic user interface.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising composing a layout of the plurality of different components which are graphically arranged through the graphic user interface according to an aesthetic layout logic having at least one predefined symmetry rule.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received input from the user comprises a search engine query and wherein a search engine responds to the search engine query with an identification of at least one component and a set of physical attributes associated with the at least one component.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the server implements aesthetic logic comprising at least one predefined visual complementarity rule to define an arrangement of the plurality of components.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having thereon instructions for operating a programmable device to design an arrangement of a plurality of different components, comprising a container having a transparent wall, a decorative member having one or more selected colors from a plurality of colors, and a candy having an exterior having one or more selected colors from a plurality of colors, to:

provide data defining a graphic user interface to a remote browser from an automated server;

receive from a user, through the remote browser, a definition of the one or more selected colors of the decorative members and the one or more selected colors of the exterior of the candy, the server controlling the browser to present for the user a graphical rendered image of at least the candy having an exterior having the one or more selected colors;

record a status of a user session comprising at least one identifier for the user; and

store in a memory an output description defining the one or more selected colors of the decorative members and the one or more selected colors of the exterior of the candy, for a manufacturing process.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the instructions further operate the programmable device to store at least one of a history of user input and a history of user interaction, and create a user profile associated with a specific user.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the server is configured to implement an aesthetic logic, comprising at least one predefined symmetry rule, for graphical presentation of at least a portion of the plurality of different components.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of different components each comprise an assembly, and wherein the user defines through the graphic user interface at least two different types of assemblies, each having at least one visual difference, wherein the programmable device is configured to implement a predefined logic which responds to a user input to selectively change a predominance of respective different types of assemblies in a presented physical arrangement.

12. A method of interacting with users, comprising:

initiating an interactive user session over the Internet using an automated server configured to concurrently independently communicate with a plurality of simultaneous users;

receiving a respective user input defining an attribute of a comestible product forming part of an aggregation of component comestible products in a container;

generating a graphic display of an image for the respective user based on prior user inputs, the respective user input, and aesthetic logic;

receiving, from the user, a modification of a respective user input defining the attribute of a comestible product forming part of the aggregation of component comestible products in the container;

generating, in response to the modification of the respective user input, a modified display for the respective user based on prior user inputs and modified respective user input, the respective modified user input, and the aesthetic logic representing the image of the comestible product having the defined attribute;

generating, in response to the acceptance of the aggregation of component comestible products in the container, an order form estimating a cost of the aggregation of component comestible products in the container to the user; and

receiving an e-commerce input to authorize manufacture the aggregation of component comestible products in the container.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the aesthetic logic is responsive to aesthetic parameters of the comestible product.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising automatically guiding a selection by the user of the one or more comestible products based on their respective color in accordance with the aesthetic logic.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the user defines the plurality of different comestible products, differing in respective colors, through a graphic user interface.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising composing a layout of the plurality of different comestible products which are graphically arranged through the graphic user interface according to an aesthetic layout logic having at least one predefined symmetry rule.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the received respective user input user comprises a search engine query and wherein a search engine responds to the search engine query with an identification of at least one component comestible product.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the aesthetic logic generates a display representing an arrangement of the component comestible products in three dimensions.

19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising interactively modifying the aggregation of component comestible products based on user inputs received through an interactive user interface.

20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising providing a recommender to at least assist the user in providing items complementary to a user selection.