System and method for parametric display of modular aesthetic designs

• US 9,582,163 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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:
  US14/287,329
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/441, 345/589, 345/593, 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 elements, comprising:

receiving from a user, through a browser, a definition of at least two elements, each element having at least two characteristics, the browser presenting for the user a graphical indication of the defined at least two characteristics,

wherein the received input from the user of the definition of the at least two characteristics of the at least two elements comprises a semantic Internet search engine query, and wherein an Internet search engine responds to the semantic Internet search engine query with an identification of at least one element and the defined at least two characteristics as attributes associated with the identified at least one element;

presenting, by a server in communication with the browser, an output description defining the at least two characteristics of the at least two elements comprising the at least one element identified by the Internet search engine, for an automated manufacturing process involving the at least two elements; and

manufacturing the arrangement of elements comprising the at least two elements in accordance with the at least two characteristics of the at least two elements.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically guiding a selection of the at least two characteristics of the elements based on at least one predefined aesthetic rule implemented by the server.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising composing a layout of the arrangement of elements which are graphically arranged through the graphic user interface according to an aesthetic layout logic having at least one predefined symmetry rule, wherein the composed layout is responsive to each of the identification of the at least one element by the Internet search engine, and the defined at least two characteristics of the at least two elements.

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

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Internet search engine responds to the semantic Internet search engine query with the identification of at least one of the elements, and the server performs an additional automated query of a database distinct from a source of the identification of the at least one element to determine the defined at least two characteristics as attributes associated with the identified at least one element.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the presenting, by the server of the output description comprises generating a display representing an arrangement of the elements in three dimensions based on aesthetic logic.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising interactively modifying the arrangement of elements based on further user inputs prior to manufacturing.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a recommender to at least recommend to the user items complementary to a selection by the user.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having thereon instructions for operating a programmable device to design an arrangement of a plurality of components, to:

prompt a user, through a browser, for a definition of at least two components, each component having at least two characteristics, the definition comprising a semantic Internet search engine query;

conveying the semantic Internet search engine query to an Internet search engine;

receiving from the Internet search engine in response to the semantic Internet search engine query, an identification of at least one component and the defined at least two characteristics as attributes associated with the identified at least one component;

controlling the browser to present to the user a graphical indication of the defined at least two characteristics of the at least two components in a physical arrangement, comprising the at least one component identified by the Internet search engine;

receiving a command from the user through the browser to initiate an automated manufacturing process involving the at least two elements.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 9, 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 to create a user profile associated with a specific user.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further implement aesthetic logic, comprising at least one predefined symmetry rule responsive to each of the identification of the at least one component by the Internet search engine, and the defined at least two characteristics of the at least two components, for graphical presentation of at least a portion of the plurality of components.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of components each comprise an assembly, and the instructions further:

prompt the user, through the graphic user interface to define at least two different types of assemblies, each having at least one visual difference, and

implement predefined logic which responds to a user input to selectively change a predominance of respective different types of assemblies in presented the physical arrangement.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 9, having thereon further instructions for operating a programmable device to design an arrangement of a plurality of components, to:

receive the response from the Internet search engine to the semantic Internet search engine query with the identification of at least one of the elements;

generate a subsequent query to a database distinct from a source of the identification of the at least one element, to determine the defined at least two characteristics as attributes associated with the identified at least one element; and

receive defined at least two characteristics as a response to the subsequent query.

14. 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 through automated browsers;

receiving a respective user input defining at least two characteristics of an arrangement comprising a plurality of elements, comprising a semantic Internet search engine query;

receiving a response to the semantic Internet search engine query from an Internet search engine comprising an identification of at least one element and the defined at least two characteristics as attributes associated with the identified at least one element;

generating a display representing a physical arrangement comprising the plurality of elements for each respective user based on prior respective user inputs, the respective user input, the defined at least two characteristics of the arrangement comprising the plurality of elements, and aesthetic logic;

generating, in response to at least the acceptance of the physical arrangement of elements corresponding to the display, an order form estimating a cost of the physical arrangement of elements corresponding to the display; and

receiving an e-commerce authorization input to acquire the identified at least one element and to authorize manufacture the physical arrangement of elements corresponding to the display.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising automatically guiding a selection by the respective user of the one or more characteristics in accordance with the aesthetic logic.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising composing a layout of the physical arrangement of elements according to the aesthetic layout logic having at least one predefined symmetry rule.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the semantic Internet search engine query to Internet search engine comprises a word, the Internet search engine responds to the semantic Internet search engine query with an identification of at least one of the elements, and the automated server performs an additional query of a database distinct from a source of the identification to determine the defined at least two characteristics.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the aesthetic logic generates a display representing an arrangement of the elements in three dimensions.

19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising interactively modifying the arrangement of elements based on further respective user inputs received through an interactive user interface.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising providing a recommender to at least recommend items complementary to a selection by the respective user.