Property management on a smartphone

• US 9,959,581 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): WEISENFELD, ARYAN E
• Application Number:
  US13/844,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20140279593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11, 705 80, 705300-318, 705329, 705342, 705348, 705500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/163 Real estate management

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for a property management system that runs on a smartphone and allows users to identify and track information on one or more properties and to receive property updates from the server. Systems and methods are also disclosed that use the orientation of and images captured by a smartphone camera to identify a facet of an object and to determine its pitch.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a smartphone device that includes a client property management database;

a server operably connected to the smartphone device, the server including a server property management database that is synchronized at least in part with the client property management database when changes are made to the client property management database on the smartphone device; and

a non-transitory memory connected to a processor within on the smartphone device, the non-transitory memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive information identifying one or more properties, send an order for a roof report for the one or more properties to the server,

receive the roof report for the one or more properties from the server,

synchronize the client property management database on the smartphone device with the server property management database by storing the roof report for the one or more properties received from the server in the client property management database and updating the client property management database when the roof report is changed in the server property management database on the server,

obtain an image representing a facet of a roof of a structure on the one or more properties, wherein the image contains an orientation value of an inclination relative to level of a camera that captured the image when the image was captured,

calculate a pitch of the facet using an angle at a common node of a scissor marker overlaid on the image,

adjust the calculated pitch of the facet based on the orientation value of the camera and a position of the common node in the image,

wherein adjusting the calculated pitch of the facet of the object comprises;

determining an angle of inclination of the smartphone device, and

calculating an angular field of view based on a pixel displacement of the position of the common node from a center pixel location of the image;

update the roof report with the adjusted calculated pitch of the facet, and

output at least a portion of the roof report on the smartphone device.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the smartphone includes the camera;

and

wherein send an order for a roof report further includes send at least one image captured with the smartphone camera of the roof of the structure on the one or more properties.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein send an order for a roof report further includes send text information to include as a part of the roof report.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein send an order for a roof report further includes send a request to receive only those portions of the roof report on the server property management database that are newer than corresponding portions of a corresponding roof report located on the client property management database;

and

wherein store the roof report further includes store the received portions of the roof report on the client property management database.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein receive the roof report further includes:

determine a bandwidth of a data connection between the smartphone device and the server; and

based upon the determined bandwidth, receive data associated with the order at predetermined intervals.

2. A method, comprising:

receiving information identifying one or more properties;

sending an order for a roof report for the one or more properties to a server, the server including a server property management database;

receiving the roof report for the one or more properties from the server;

synchronizing a client property management database with the server property management database by storing the roof report for the one or more properties received from the server on the client property management database and updating the client property management database when the roof report is changed in the server property management database;

obtaining an image representing a facet of a roof of a structure on the one or more properties, wherein the image contains an orientation value of a camera that captured the image when the image was captured,

the orientation value is indicative of an inclination of the camera with respect to level;

calculating a pitch of the facet using an angle at a common node of a scissor marker overlaid on the image;

adjust the calculated pitch of the facet based on the orientation of the camera and a position of the common node in the image;

wherein adjusting the calculated pitch of the facet of the object comprises;

determining an angle of inclination of the smartphone device, and

calculating an angular field of view based on a pixel displacement of the position of the common node from a center pixel location of the image; and

updating the roof report with the adjusted calculated pitch of the facet.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein sending an order for a roof report further includes sending at least one image of the roof of the structure on the one or more properties.

10. The method of claim 2,

wherein sending an order for a roof report further includes sending a request to receive only those portions of the roof report on the server property management database that are newer than corresponding portions of a corresponding roof report located on the client property management database;

and

wherein storing the roof report further includes storing the received portions of the roof report on the client property management database.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the roof report for the one or more properties from the server further includes receiving information about the surrounding area of the one or more properties.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the roof report for the one or more properties from the server further includes receiving the roof report from the server at predetermined times of the day.

3. A system for measuring the pitch of an object in an image, comprising:

a smartphone device;

a camera of the smartphone device structured to capture an image of a facet of an object for which a pitch is to be determined;

a non-transitory memory connected to a processor within the smartphone device, the non-transitory memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive the image representing the facet of the object for which the pitch is to be determined, wherein the image contains image metadata information with an orientation value indicative of an inclination of the camera relative to level when the image was captured by the camera;

generate a three-dimensional model of the object with the facet based on the image and the image metadata information;

receive a scissor marker from a user that overlays the image and identifies the facet of the object for which the pitch is to be determined, the scissor marker including, two lines joined at a common node that form an angle;

calculate the pitch of the facet of the object using the angle of the scissor marker created at the common node from the two lines;

adjust the calculated pitch of the facet of the object based on the orientation value of the camera and a position of the common node in the image;

wherein adjusting the calculated pitch of the facet of the object comprises;

determining an angle of inclination of the smartphone device, and

calculating an angular field of view based on a pixel displacement of the position of the common node from a center pixel location of the image;

import the adjusted calculated pitch of the facet into the three-dimensional model; and

output the adjusted calculated pitch of the facet of the object to the smartphone device.

13. The system of claim 3 wherein calculate the pitch of the object further comprises:

adjust the scissor marker to position the common node at an apex of a gable in the image; and

adjust the angle of the two lines to match the angle of the underlying roof.

14. The system of claim 3, wherein the scissor marker is one line connected to a node having a vertical reference;

and

wherein calculate the pitch of the object further includes;

adjust the scissor marker to position the common node at an apex of a gable in the image, and

adjust the angle of the line to match one facet of the underlying roof.

18. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

at least one orientation sensor of the smartphone device structured to obtain the orientation value of the camera, the orientation value including an angle of observation from the camera to the object relative to level.

4. A method for measuring the pitch of an object in an image, comprising:

capturing, by a camera, an image representing a facet of an object for which a pitch is to be determined, wherein the image contains image metadata information with an orientation value of an inclination of the camera relative to level when the image was captured;

generating a three-dimensional model of the object with the facet based on the image and the image metadata information;

receiving, at a computing device, a scissor marker from a user that overlays the image and identifies the facet of the object for which a pitch is to be determined, the scissor marker including two lines joined at a common node that form an angle;

computing, by the computing device, the pitch of the facet of the object using the angle of the scissor marker created at the common node from the two lines;

adjusting, by the computing device, the computed pitch of the facet of the object based on the orientation value of the camera and a position of the common node in the image;

wherein adjusting the computed pitch of the facet of the object comprises;

determining, an angle of inclination of the smartphone device, and

calculating an angular field of view based on a pixel displacement of the position of the common node from a center pixel location of the image;

importing the adjusted computed pitch of the facet into the three-dimensional model; and

outputting the adjusted computed pitch of the facet of the object to the computing device.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein computing the pitch of the object further comprises:

adjusting the scissor marker to position the common node at an apex of a gable in the image; and

adjusting the angle of the two lines to match the angle of the underlying roof.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the scissor marker is one line connected to a node having a vertical reference;

and

wherein computing the pitch of the object further includes;

adjusting the scissor marker to position the common node at an apex of a gable in the image, and

adjusting the angle of the line to match one facet of the underlying roof.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein the image is one of a live image and a stored image.