Methods, systems and computer program products for generating storyboards of interior design surface treatments for interior spaces

• US 20020030689A1
• Filed: 01/09/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reed Construction Data, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tectonic Solutions, Inc. (Tectonic Network, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kabus, Alan S., Eichel, Lauranne P., Cole, Stephen N., Kredich, Nathan A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,664,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/588
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A storyboard of interior design surface treatments for a commercial and/or residential interior space is generated by obtaining a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments. The arrays of patterns are displayed on a computer display. Each array of patterns corresponds to a surface treatment product type, such as floor treatments, upholstery, textiles (fabrics), wall treatments and solid surface materials or laminates (countertops). The product type also can include product subtypes, such as carpet, vinyl composition tile, resilient sheet flooring, porcelain tile and ceramic tile for floor treatments. A plurality of subarrays of patterns then are generated, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type. The plurality of subarrays of patterns are generated in response to selection by a user, generally an interior designer/decorator, architect, facility planner, product dealer and/or general contractor, from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type. Finally, at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns are combined to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space. Thus, large numbers of patterns may be considered and combined without the need to peruse a large library of sample books. Moreover, the one or more storyboards may be generated without the need to physically order samples or cut samples from sample books. The subarrays of patterns that are under consideration and/or one or more storyboards, may be viewed on a computer system, and may be emailed and/or printed and sent to a client to allow improved efficiency in the decision-making process. Data mining, standardized patterns and attributes, storyboard enhancements, additional user search criteria, discontinued product handling and locators also may be provided.

Claims

1. A method of generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising the following steps that are performed on a computer system:

displaying a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

generating a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type; and

combining at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of displaying is preceded by the step of:

storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the storing step comprises the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the following steps are performed between the step of storing and the step of displaying:

accepting at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

searching the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the displaying step further comprises the step of displaying with each pattern an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the surface treatment product types comprise at least one of floor treatments, wall treatments, fabrics and countertop materials.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the surface treatment product types comprise at least one of tile floor treatments, carpet floor treatments and carpet floor treatments.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the pattern attributes include at least one of an identification of a manufacturer, an identification of a primary color and an identification of an overall style.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the following step is performed between the steps of generating and combining:

displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns to create a catalog.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

annotating the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

emailing the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

13. A method according to claim 10 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

15. A method according to claim 9 wherein the step of displaying a plurality of arrays of patterns is performed in a first window on a display and wherein the step of displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns is performed in a second window on the display.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of displaying the storyboard in a third window on the display.

17. A method according to claim 4 wherein the steps of displaying and combining are performed on a client that is connected to a server via a network and wherein the steps of storing and searching are performed on the server.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the step of displaying is preceded by the step of:

storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the storing step comprises the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the following steps are performed between the step of storing and the step of displaying:

accepting at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

searching the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the displaying step further comprises the step of displaying with each pattern an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

23. A method according to claim 18 wherein the surface treatment product types comprise at least one of floor treatments, wall treatments, fabrics and countertop materials.

24. A method according to claim 18 wherein the surface treatment product types comprise at least one of tile floor treatments, carpet floor treatments and carpet floor treatments.

25. A method according to claim 18 wherein the pattern attributes include at least one of an identification of a manufacturer, an identification of a primary color and an identification of an overall style.

26. A method according to claim 18 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

annotating the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

28. A method according to claim 26 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

emailing the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

29. A method according to claim 26 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

30. A method according to claim 26 wherein the displaying step is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

31. A method according to claim 26 wherein the step of displaying a plurality of arrays of patterns is performed in a first window on a display and wherein the step of displaying the storyboard is performed in a second window on the display.

32. A method according to claim 21 wherein the steps of displaying and combining are performed on a client that is connected to a server via a network and wherein the steps of storing and searching are perfornmed on the server .

123. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

storing data related to the plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, data related to the plurality of subarrays of patterns and/or data related to the storyboard in a database; and

mining the database to extract information related to projects of a user and/or products of a manufacturer of the interior design surface treatments.

128. A method according to claim 2 wherein the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments is preceded by the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from a plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments;

converting the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments; and

wherein the step of storing comprises storing the standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments.

129. A method according to claim 3 wherein the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes, is preceded by the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from a plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes;

converting the plurality of patterns and the plurality of pattern attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns and the plurality of attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments; and

wherein the step of storing comprises storing the standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns and the plurality of attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments.

132. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying a product specification that is associated with a selected pattern in the plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to the user search criteria.

133. A method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of displaying a product specification that is associated with a selected pattern in the plurality of subarrays of patterns in the catalog.

135. A method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of resizing at least one of the images of the patterns that is displayed on the storyboard, without resizing the pattern, in response to user input.

136. A method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of rotating at least one of the patterns on the storyboard in response to user input.

137. A method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of adding legends to the storyboard that identify selected attributes of the patterns on the storyboard.

138. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of importing images, graphics or text into the storyboard.

139. A method according to claim 1 further comprising exporting the storyboard.

140. A method according to claim 1 wherein the displaying step is preceded by:

accepting a user selection of a pattern; and

searching the stored set of patterns to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that are similar to the user selection of a pattern.

141. A method according to claim 4 wherein the at least one user selected attribute is a custom product attribute.

142. A method according to claim 4 wherein the at least one user selected attribute is a collection, correlate or related material attribute.

143. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying a plurality of patterns that correspond to user search criteria and that are not flagged as being discontinued.

144. A method according to claim 9 wherein the step of displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns to create a catalog comprises the step of displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns, including a flag of those patterns which are discontinued, to create the catalog.

145. A method according to claim 10 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space comprises the steps of displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space, including a flag of those interior design surface treatments that are discontinued.

146. A method according to claim 1 further comprising identifying a service provider for at least one of the interior design treatments in the storyboard in response to a user query.

147. A method according to claim 1 further comprising identifying a manufacturer'"'"'s representative for at least one of the interior design treatments in the storyboard in response to a user query.

148. A method according to claim 4 wherein the at least one user-selected attribute is an availability attribute.

149. A method according to claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

storing data related to the plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria and/or data related to the storyboard in a database; and

mining the database to extract information related to projects of a user and/or products of a manufacturer of the interior design surface treatments.

154. A method according to claim 19 wherein the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments is preceded by the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from a plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments;

converting the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments; and

wherein the step of storing comprises storing the standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments.

155. A method according to claim 20 wherein the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes, is preceded by the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from a plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes;

converting the plurality of patterns and the plurality of pattern attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns and the plurality of attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments; and

wherein the step of storing comprises storing the standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns and the plurality of attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments.

158. A method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of displaying a product specification that is associated with a selected pattern in the plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to the user search criteria.

159. A method according to claim 26 further comprising the step of displaying a product specification that is associated with a selected interior design surface treatment in the storyboard.

160. A method according to claim 26 further comprising the step of resizing at least one of the images of the patterns that is displayed on the storyboard, without resizing the pattern, in response to user input.

161. A method according to claim 26 further comprising the step of rotating at least one of the patterns on the storyboard in response to user input.

162. A method according to claim 26 further comprising the step of adding legends to the storyboard that identify selected attributes of the patterns on the storyboard.

163. A method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of importing images, graphics or text into the storyboard.

164. A method according to claim 18 further comprising exporting the storyboard.

165. A method according to claim 18 wherein the displaying step is preceded by:

accepting a user selection of a pattern; and

searching the stored set of patterns to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that are similar to the user selection of a pattern.

166. A method according to claim 21 wherein the at least one user selected attribute is a custom product attribute.

167. A method according to claim 21 wherein the at least one user selected attribute is a collection, correlate or related material attribute.

168. A method according to claim 18 wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying a plurality of patterns that correspond to user search criteria and that are not flagged as being discontinued.

169. A method according to claim 26 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space comprises the steps of displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space, including a flag of those interior design surface treatments that are discontinued.

170. A method according to claim 18 further comprising identifying a service provider for at least one of the interior design treatments in the storyboard in response to a user query.

171. A method according to claim 18 further comprising identifying a manufacturer'"'"'s representative for at least one of the interior design treatments in the storyboard in response to a user query.

172. A method according to claim 21 wherein the at least one user-selected attribute is an availability attribute.

18. A method of generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising the following steps that are performed on a computer system:

displaying a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type; and

combining at least one pattern from at least two of the arrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

33. A method of generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising the following steps that are performed on a computer system:

displaying in a first window on a display, a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

displaying in a second window on the display a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type that is displayed in the first window; and

displaying in a third window on the display, at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns in the second window, to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

34. A method according to claim 33 wherein the step of displaying in a first window is preceded by the step of:

storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

35. A method according to claim 34 wherein the storing step comprises the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

36. A method according to claim 35 wherein the following steps are performed between the step of storing and the step of displaying in a first window:

accepting at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

searching the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein the step of displaying in a first window further comprises the step of displaying with each pattern in the first window an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

38. A method according to claim 33 wherein the step of displaying in a third window is followed by the step of:

annotating the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

39. A method according to claim 33 wherein the step of displaying in a third window is followed by the step of:

emailing the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

40. A method according to claim 33 wherein the step of displaying in a third window is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

41. A method according to claim 33 wherein the step of displaying in a third window is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

42. A method according to claim 36 wherein the steps of displaying in a first window, displaying in a second window and displaying in a third window are performed on a client that is connected to a server via a network and wherein the steps of storing and searching are performed on the server.

43. A method of generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising the following steps that are performed on a computer system:

generating a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

generating a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type; and

combining at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

44. A method according to claim 43 wherein the step of generating a plurality of arrays is preceded by the step of:

storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

45. A method according to claim 44 wherein the storing step comprises the step of storing a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

46. A method according to claim 45 wherein the following steps are performed between the step of storing and the step of generating a plurality of arrays:

accepting at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

searching the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

47. A method according to claim 46 wherein the step of generating a plurality of arrays further comprises the step of generating for each pattern, an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

48. A method according to claim 43 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of:

annotating the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

49. A method according to claim 43 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of:

emailing the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

50. A method according to claim 43 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

51. A method according to claim 43 wherein the combining step is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

52. A server method of generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising the following steps that are performed at a server that is connected to a client by a network:

storing a set of patterns for a plurality of surface treatment product types, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes;

accepting from the client over the network at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types;

searching the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate a plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the at least one user selected attribute;

transmitting the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the at least one user selected attribute to the client over the network;

receiving from the client over the network a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space that represents at least one pattern from at least two of the arrays of patterns; and

storing the received storyboard.

53. A method according to claim 52 wherein the searching step further comprises the step of generating for each pattern, an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

54. A client method of generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising the following steps that are performed at a client that is connected to a server by a network:

accepting at least one user selected attribute for at least one of a plurality of surface treatment product types to define a user search criteria;

transmitting the user search criteria to the server over the network;

receiving from the server over the network, a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to the user search criteria, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

displaying the plurality of arrays of patterns;

accepting at least one user selection from at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns;

generating a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to the at least one user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type;

displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns;

combining at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space; and

displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

55. A method according to claim 54 wherein the step of displaying the plurality of arrays of patterns further comprises the step of displaying with each pattern an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

56. A method according to claim 54 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard is followed by the step of:

annotating the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

57. A method according to claim 54 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard is followed by the step of:

emailing the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

58. A method according to claim 54 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

59. A method according to claim 54 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard is followed by the step of:

electronically ordering sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

60. A method according to claim 59 wherein the step of displaying the plurality of arrays of patterns is performed in a first window on a display and wherein the step of displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns is performed in a second window on the display.

61. A method according to claim 60 wherein the step of displaying the storyboard is performed in a third window on the display.

62. A computer program product for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that displays a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

computer readable program code that generates a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type; and

computer readable program code that combines at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

63. A computer program product according to claim 62 further comprising:

computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

64. A computer program product according to claim 63 wherein the computer readable program code that stores comprises computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

65. A computer program product according to claim 64 further comprising:

computer readable program code that accepts at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

computer readable program code that searches the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

66. A computer program product according to claim 65 wherein the computer readable program code that displays further comprises computer readable program code that displays with each pattern an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

67. A computer program product according to claim 62 further comprising:

computer readable program code that displays the plurality of subarrays of patterns to create a catalog.

68. A computer program product according to claim 62 further comprising:

computer readable program code that displays the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

69. A computer program product according to claim 68 further comprising:

computer readable program code that annotates the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

70. A computer program product according to claim 68 further comprising:

computer readable program code that emails the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

71. A computer program product according to claim 68 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

72. A computer program product according to claim 68 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

73. A computer program product according to claim 67 wherein the computer readable program code displays a plurality of arrays of patterns in a first window on a display and wherein the computer readable program code displays the plurality of subarrays of patterns in a second window on the display.

74. A computer program product according to claim 73 further comprising:

computer readable program code that displays the storyboard in a third window on the display.

75. A computer program product according to claim 65 wherein the computer readable program code that displays and the computer readable program code that combines execute on a client that is connected to a server via a network and wherein the computer readable program code that stores and the computer readable program code that searches executes on the server.

76. A computer program product for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, the computer program product comprising a computer storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that displays a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type; and

computer readable program code that combines at least one pattern from at least two of the arrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

77. A computer program product according to claim 76 further comprising:

computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

78. A computer program product according to claim 77 wherein the computer readable program code that stores comprises computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

79. A computer program product according to claim 78 further comprising:

computer readable program code that accepts at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

computer readable program code that searches the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

80. A computer program product according to claim 79 wherein the computer readable program code that displays further comprises computer readable program code that displays with each pattern an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

81. A computer program product according to claim 76 further comprising:

computer readable program code that displays the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

82. A computer program product according to claim 81 further comprising:

computer readable program code that annotates the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

83. A computer program product according to claim 81 further comprising:

computer readable program code that emails the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

84. A computer program product according to claim 81 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

85. A computer program product according to claim 81 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

86. A computer program product according to claim 81 wherein the computer readable program code displays a plurality of arrays of patterns in a first window on a display and wherein the computer readable program code displays the storyboard in a second window on the display.

87. A computer program product according to claim 79 wherein the computer readable program code that displays and the computer readable program code that combines execute on a client that is connected to a server via a network and wherein computer readable program code that stores and the computer readable program code that searches execute on the server.

88. A computer program product for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that displays in a first window on a display, a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

computer readable program code that displays in a second window on the display a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type that is displayed in the first window; and

computer readable program code that displays in a third window on the display, at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns in the second window, to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

89. A computer program product according to claim 88 further comprising:

computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

90. A computer program product according to claim 89 wherein the computer readable program code that stores comprises computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

91. A computer program product according to claim 90 further comprising:

computer readable program code that accepts at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

computer readable program code that searches the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

92. A computer program product according to claim 91 wherein the computer readable program code that displays in a first window further comprises computer readable program code that displays with each pattern in the first window an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

93. A computer program product according to claim 88 further comprising:

computer readable program code that annotates the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

94. A computer program product according to claim 88 further comprising:

computer readable program code that emails the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

95. A computer program product according to claim 88 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

96. A computer program product according to claim 88 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

97. A computer program product according to claim 91 wherein the computer readable program code that displays in a first window, the computer readable program code that displays in a second window and the computer readable program code that displays in a third window execute on a client that is connected to a server via a network and wherein the computer readable program code that stores and the computer readable program code that searches execute on the server.

134. A method according to claim 90 further comprising the step of displaying a product specification that is associated with a selected interior design sur face treatment in the storyboard.

98. A computer program product for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that generates a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

computer readable program code that generates a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type; and

computer readable program code that combines at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

99. A computer program product according to claim 98 further comprising:

computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments.

100. A computer program product according to claim 99 wherein the computer readable program code that stores comprises computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes.

101. A computer program product according to claim 100 further comprising:

computer readable program code that accepts at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types to define the user search criteria; and

computer readable program code that searches the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the user search criteria.

102. A computer program product according to claim 101 wherein the computer readable program code that generates a plurality of arrays further comprises computer readable program code that generates for each pattern, an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

103. A computer program product according to claim 98 further comprising:

computer readable program code that annotates the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

104. A computer program product according to claim 98 further comprising:

computer readable program code that emails the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

105. A computer program product according to claim 98 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

106. A computer program product according to claim 98 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

107. A computer program product that executes on a server that is connected to a client over a network, for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that stores a set of patterns for a plurality of surface treatment product types, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes;

computer readable program code that accepts from the client over the network at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types;

computer readable program code that searches the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate a plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the at least one user selected attribute;

computer readable program code that transmits the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the at least one user selected attribute to the client over the network;

computer readable program code that receives from the client over the network a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space that represents at least one pattern from at least two of the arrays of patterns; and

computer readable program code that stores the received storyboard.

108. A computer program product according to claim 107 wherein the computer readable program code that searches further comprises computer readable program code that generates for each pattern, an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

109. A computer program product that executes on a client that is connected to a server over a network, for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that accepts at least one user selected attribute for at least one of a plurality of surface treatment product types to define a user search criteria;

computer readable program code that transmits the user search criteria to the server over the network;

computer readable program code that receives from the server over the network, a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to the user search criteria, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

computer readable program code that displays the plurality of arrays of patterns;

computer readable program code that accepts at least one user selection from at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns;

computer readable program code that generates a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to the at least one user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type;

computer readable program code that displays the plurality of subarrays of patterns;

computer readable program code that combines at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space; and

computer readable program code that displays the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

110. A computer program product according to claim 109 wherein the computer readable program code that displays the plurality of arrays of patterns further comprises computer readable program code that displays with each pattern an indicator of an extent that the pattern matches the user search criteria.

111. A computer program product according to claim 109 further comprises:

computer readable program code that annotates the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space in response to user input.

112. A computer program product according to claim 109 further comprising:

computer readable program code that emails the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.

113. A computer program product according to claim 109 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders samples of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard.

114. A computer program product according to claim 109 further comprising:

computer readable program code that electronically orders sufficient quantities of the interior design surface treatments that are contained in the storyboard for the interior space.

115. A computer program product according to claim 114 wherein the computer readable program code displays the plurality of arrays of patterns in a first window on a display and wherein the computer readable program code displays the plurality of subarrays of patterns in a second window on the display.

116. A computer program product according to claim 115 wherein the computer readable program code displays the storyboard in a third window on the display.

124. A method according to claim 123 wherein the mining step comprises mining the database to extract information related to search criteria of a user, patterns that are frequently selected by a user, combinations of interior design surface treatments that are used by a user, samples of interior design surface treatments that have been ordered by a user or quantities of interior design surface treatments that have been ordered by a user.

125. A method according to claim 123 wherein the mining step comprises mining the database to extract information related to past projects of a user, work in progress projects of a user or future projects of a user.

126. A method according to claim 123 wherein the mining step comprises mining the database to extract information related to products, product categories and/or attributes of a manufacturer of the interior design surface treatments that are selected in response to user search criteria, that are selected from the corresponding array of patterns or that are included in a storyboard.

127. A method according to claim 126 further comprising the step of using the information related to products and product categories of a manufacturer of the interior design surface treatments that are selected in response to user search criteria, that are selected from the corresponding array of patterns or that are included in a storyboard to generate sales leads, to design new patterns, to direct marketing or to manufacture interior design surface treatments.

130. A method according to claim 128 wherein the step of converting the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments comprises the steps of:

scaling the plurality of patterns to a common scale;

capturing images of the plurality of patterns under common lighting; and

color correcting the plurality of patterns.

131. A method according to claim 129 wherein the step of converting the plurality of patterns and the plurality of pattern attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns and the plurality of attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments comprises the steps of:

generating specifications for the plurality of patterns from a standard set of attributes and attribute values;

scaling the plurality of patterns to a common scale;

capturing images of the plurality of patterns under common lighting; and

color correcting the plurality of patterns.

150. A method according to claim 149 wherein the mining step comprises mining the database to extract information related to search criteria of a user, patterns that are frequently selected by a user, combinations of interior design surface treatments that are used by a user, samples of interior design surface treatments that have been ordered by a user or quantities of interior design surface treatments that have been ordered by a user.

151. A method according to claim 149 wherein the mining step comprises mining the database to extract information related to past projects of a user, work in progress projects of a user or future projects of a user.

152. A method according to claim 149 wherein the mining step comprises mining the database to extract information related to products, product categories and/or attributes of a manufacturer of the interior design surface treatments that are selected in response to user search criteria or that are included in a storyboard.

153. A method according to claim 152 further comprising the step of using the information related to products and product categories of a manufacturer of the interior design surface treatments that are selected in response to user search criteria or that are included in a storyboard to generate sales leads, to design new patterns, to direct marketing or to manufacture interior design surface treatments.

156. A method according to claim 154 wherein the step of converting the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments comprises the steps of:

scaling the plurality of patterns to a common scale;

capturing images of the plurality of patterns under common lighting; and

color correcting the plurality of patterns.

157. A method according to claim 155 wherein the step of converting the plurality of patterns and the plurality of pattern attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments into a standardized set of representations of the plurality of patterns and the plurality of attributes for interior design surface treatments from the plurality of manufacturers of interior design surface treatments comprises the steps of:

generating specifications for the plurality of patterns from a standard set of attributes and attribute values;

scaling the plurality of patterns to a common scale;

capturing images of the plurality of patterns under common lighting; and

color correcting the plurality of patterns.

117. A system for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising:

a computer display that displays a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

a computer that generates a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type, and that combines at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

118. A system for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising:

a computer display that displays a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type; and

a computer that combines at least one pattern from at least two of the arrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

119. A system for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising:

a computer display that displays in a first window on a display, a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

the computer display also displaying in a second window on the display a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type that is displayed in the first window; and

the computer display also displaying in a third window on the display, at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns in the second window, to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

120. A system for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising:

a computer that generates a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria, from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

the computer also generating a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type; and

the computer also combining at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space.

121. A server that generates a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising:

a server computer that stores a set of patterns for a plurality of surface treatment product types, each pattern including a plurality of pattern attributes;

the server computer also accepting from a client over a network at least one user selected attribute for at least one of the surface treatment product types;

the server computer also searching the stored pattern attributes for the at least one of the surface treatment product types to generate a plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the at least one user selected attribute;

the server computer also transmitting the plurality of arrays of patterns that meet the at least one user selected attribute to the client over the network;

the server computer also receiving from the client over the network a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space that represents at least one pattern from at least two of the arrays of patterns; and

the server computer also storing the received storyboard.

122. A client that generates a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space, comprising:

a client computer that accepts at least one user selected attribute for at least one of a plurality of surface treatment product types to define a user search criteria;

the client computer also transmitting the user search criteria to a server over a network;

the client computer also receiving from the server over the network, a plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to the user search criteria, each array of patterns corresponding to a surface treatment product type;

the client computer also displaying the plurality of arrays of patterns;

the client computer also accepting at least one user selection from at least one of the plurality of arrays of patterns;

the client computer also generating a plurality of subarrays of patterns, each subarray corresponding to a surface treatment product type, in response to the at least one user selection from the corresponding array of patterns for the corresponding surface treatment type;

the client computer also displaying the plurality of subarrays of patterns;

the client computer also combining at least one pattern from at least two of the subarrays of patterns to produce a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for an interior space; and

the client computer also displaying the storyboard of interior design surface treatments for the interior space.