Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Attributes
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-09
2003-12-16
Luu, Matthew (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Attributes
C345S588000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06664972
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to computer systems, methods and computer program products, and more particularly to graphical computer systems, methods and computer program products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Interior decorators/designers assist clients in selecting and coordinating interior design surface treatments, also referred to as surface coverings, including floor treatments, upholstery, fabrics, wall treatments and/or countertop surfaces for commercial and/or residential interior spaces. These interior design surface treatments are selected from many manufacturers, each of which generally produces many different patterns and color schemes of floor treatments, upholstery, fabrics, wall treatments and/or surfaces. These interior design surface treatments generally are coordinated from an aesthetic, functional and/or budgetary standpoint.
In order to select interior design surface treatments for an interior space, an interior designer generally views the interior space, plans and/or photographs thereof, including any existing interior design surface treatments. The designer's client also is consulted as to the functional, aesthetic and/or budgetary requirements.
The interior designer then scans many sample books of floor treatments, upholstery, fabrics, wall treatments, surfaces and/or other interior design surface treatments. In general, each manufacturer will produce many sample books. Thus, for example, for wallpaper, each of dozens or more of manufacturers may produce dozens or more of sample books of wallpaper patterns.
After scanning these books, a small number of patterns that are thought to be appropriate for the interior space are selected. The books that include these patterns then may be lugged to the interior space and/or to the client for review and/or discussion. Alternatively, a sample of each interior design surface treatment that is being considered may be cut from the sample book or ordered from the manufacturer. After additional client consultation, the samples may be narrowed down to one sample for each product that is being used. A sample of each product type that will be used in the interior space may be mounted on a foam-backed or other board, known as a “storyboard”, so that the client can view each of the proposed interior design surface treatments, and the manner in which they coordinate in the particular interior space. Multiple storyboards may be generated for a given interior space.
Although the interior design process has been described above as a linear process, it will be understood that the process generally is iterative with multiple iterations at each step and multiple returns to earlier steps based on the client's decision, budgetary constraints and/or other factors. This process may be time consuming and inefficient.
It will be recognized that the above-described interior design process involves the selection and coordination of patterns of interior design surface treatments for aesthetic, functional and/or budgetary compatibility. Graphical computers now have been developed that can manipulate graphical images such as patterns of interior design surface treatments. In fact, personal computers generally include Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) that can manipulate graphical images.
Graphical computer systems have been applied to manipulate images of interior design surface treatments. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,966,454 and 6,005,969, both to Thomas et al. and both entitled Methods and Systems for Manipulation of Images of Floor Coverings or Other Fabrics, provide methods and systems that enable a highly streamlined and efficient fabric or textile sampling and design process, particularly valuable in the design and selection of floor treatments, wall treatments and other interior design treatments. A digital library of fabric models is created, preferably including digitized full-color images and having associated a digital association of positions that are located within and which characterize the models. Via an application implemented according to conventional software methods, and running on conventional hardware having high resolution graphics processing capabilities, a user may navigate among a set of alternative models and may modify the positions of the selected models, to test out desired combinations of characteristics—such as poms, or yard-ends, for models of floor treatments—and view the results in high resolution. The resulting samples or designs can be stored and transmitted over a telecommunications network, or by other means, to a central facility that can either generate photographic-quality images of the samples, or can directly generate actual samples of carpet or other material of interest. See the '454 and '969 patent abstracts.
Another example of a graphical computer system that has been applied to manipulate images of interior design surface treatments is the MONA™ Textile Design Explorer, developed by Cone Mills Corporation's Business Unit d cube™. MONA lets a user quickly and precisely browse through a rich database of images. When the user finds a pattern of interest, the user can execute a search based on that image and the software gathers other patterns that are similar in style, motif or other visual characteristics. If the user knows exactly what the user wants, the user can conduct a more structured search using a unique textile design terminology system that allows for powerful cross-referencing options. Once selections have been made, high resolution images can be downloaded to edit, combine or recolor with off-the-shelf or CAD/CAM software. The MONA Textile Design Explorer is described in a
User's Manual,
1996.
Manipulation of graphical images on computer systems also has been applied in other industries. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,771 to Oberg, entitled Computerized System for Selecting, Adjusting, and Previewing Framing Product Combinations for Artwork and Other Items to be Framed. Disclosed is a computerized system having means for displaying a digital image with an object, such as an object of artwork supplied by a user, analyzing the color composition of the image, searching a database for coordinating frame and matting material products, developing composite images of the user's input with the matching selections and presenting the digital images to the user, so that the items may be previewed before placing an order. See the '771 patent abstract.
Another example is the Web site for HomePortfolio, Inc. This Web site presents an editorial selection of top-of-the-line and hard-to-find home design products and directs the user to their nearest retailer. HomePortfolio lets a user choose favorite products and organize them in the user's own personal portfolio-an online scrapbook that makes it easy to communicate with a spouse, builder, architect or designer. See www.homeportfolio.com.
Notwithstanding these and other advances in computer graphic systems, the interior design process generally continues to use large numbers of product sample books, ordering of samples and creating storyboards on foam-backed cardboard, as was described above. As was described above, this process may be time-consuming and inefficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention can provide computerized methods, systems and/or computer program products for generating a storyboard of interior design surface treatments for a commercial and/or residential interior space. A plurality of arrays of patterns that correspond to user search criteria are obtained from a stored set of patterns for interior design surface treatments, and 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 surfaces (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 ar
Cole Stephen N.
Eichel Lauranne P.
Kabus Alan S.
Kredich Nathan A.
BlueBolt Networks, Inc.
Luu Matthew
Myers Bigel & Sibley & Sajovec
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