Automated method and system for object configuration

• US 20060111878A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syndigo, LLC
• Original Assignee: Edgenet, Inc. (Syndigo, LLC)
• Inventors: Riggs, Roy, Pendyala, Chandra, Broadhead, Robert, Rajbhandari, Rajan
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

An automated system and method is provided for configuring an object (e.g., a room). In accordance with a preferred embodiment, configuration is facilitated through the use of layering functionality and frame-based inferences to evaluate stored knowledge of object attributes. The frame-based inferences may be supplemented by a rules-based inference system. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a graphics-based user interface may be used to permit interactive configuration using two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of the object, and incorporating engineering specifications, as well as functional and physical attributes.

Claims

1. A configuration method, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of separate sets of data for a respective plurality of components associated with a first configurable object for at least one consumer application;

performing an inference operation based on received input data regarding a selected consumer application; and

generating an image of an inferred set of components within the first configurable object resulting from the inference operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating computer-aided-design (CAD) data for facilitating installation of the inferred set of components.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input data at a user interface from a user in the form of computer-aided-design (CAD) data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing comprises:

storing a plurality of separate sets of product data for each component associated with the first configurable object; and

wherein the first configurable object is a room, and wherein the at least one consumer application is one of a plurality of consumer applications that respectively reflect different decorating styles that may be selected for the room.

5. A configuration method, the method comprising the steps of:

separating an image of a configurable object into a plurality of layers, each of the layers being respectively associated with ones of a plurality of different components of said configurable object; and

storing in memory a respective plurality of different sets of data corresponding to said plurality of components.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said storing step comprises:

storing in memory a plurality of different sets of data in the form of product data corresponding to each component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said separating step comprises:

generating a respective plurality of different options for each of the layers, where the options are related to at least one of color, material, texture, finish and price.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of separating comprises:

generating two-dimensional data of the image; and

adding three-dimensional reference data to the two-dimensional data of the image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of adding comprises:

generating data of at least one of location of a camera, location and intensity of a light source, identification of a plane, identification of a component, and identification of three-dimensional visual behavior data.

10. A method of configuring a room, the method comprising:

receiving input data concerning a desired style of the room;

performing an inference operation based on the input data;

determining a configuration for the room based on said act of performing, the room configuration having a plurality of components, each of the components having at least one different set of product data respectively associated with the component based on a style of the configuration;

receiving a request to modify a first component of the room to a different one of its respective associated sets of product data; and

changing a bill of materials associated with the room based on the requested change.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

changing an appearance of an image in a display of the at least one component based on the requested change.

12. A method of configuring a room, the method comprising:

receiving a style selection of the room to be configured as input data;

generating at least one room design to match the style selection, the room design having a plurality of components consistent with the selected room style, each of the plurality of components representing at least one set of potential product data;

changing an appearance of a first one of the plurality of components; and

updating a list of product data associated with the room design based on the change.

13. A method of configuring a room, the method comprising:

receiving input data at a user interface concerning the room configuration;

performing an attribute-based inference operation based on the input data received in said receiving step;

generating a two-dimensional image of the room configuration, the room configuration containing a plurality of components inferred in said performing step, each of the inferred components representing at least one set of product data having attributes inferred during said performing step;

enabling modification of at least a first one of the plurality of components, whereby a first set of product data represented by the first component is replaced with a second set of product data different from the first set of product data;

generating a three-dimensional image of the room; and

enabling modification of respective locations of said plurality of components in the room while viewing the three-dimensional image.

14. A system for configuring an object based on a consumer application, the system comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of separate sets of data for a respective plurality of components associated with a first configurable object for a given one of a plurality of consumer applications;

an applications server coupled to said database for selecting a plurality of components for the first configurable object based on received input data regarding one of the plurality of consumer applications; and

a display device coupled to said applications server for displaying an image of selected ones of the plurality of components within the first configurable object selected by said applications server.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user interface coupled to said applications server, via a communications medium, for receiving the input data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said user interface is associated with a computer located at a commercial establishment.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said user interface is associated with a computer located at a user'"'"'s home.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having an executable software program for a desired consumer application stored thereon, the software program executed to operate a computer system to:

access a stored plurality of separate sets of product data for a respective plurality of components associated with a configurable object for the desired consumer application; and

generate an image of selected components within the configurable object corresponding to the desired consumer application.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein said software program is further configured to operate said computer system to:

generate computer-aided-design (CAD) data for facilitating installation of the selected components.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein said software program is further configured to operate said computer system to:

receive computer-aided-design (CAD) data at a user interface regarding the desired consumer application; and

wherein the configurable object is a configurable room, and the computer application is a design style for the configurable room, and the components include fixtures within the configurable room.