Peter H Thomas

US Patent:

20010047250, Nov 29, 2001

Filed:

Feb 2, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/775926

Inventors:

Joan Schuller - Gladwyne PA, US
Harry Washington - Newark DE, US
Deborah Zimmer - Richboro PA, US
John Stauffer - Wallingford PA, US
Kelly Fong - Woodside NY, US
Nina Collart - San Francisco CA, US
Yeshayah Artsy - Nashua NH, US
Keith Kwok - Sunnyside NY, US
Peter Thomas - Paramus NJ, US

International Classification:

G06F017/50

US Classification:

703/001000

Abstract:

A computer-implemented method of visualizing a decorating project includes rendering an image of a building space (e.g., a room) that includes a number of structural objects (such as doors, walls, and furniture). The structural objects may be portrayed in the rendered image with visual characteristics that are determined by decorative materials (such as paint, fabric, or wallpaper) associated with the objects. The decorative material associated with a particular structural object may be determined based on user input selecting an object's decorative material from a group of available decorative materials. The method may also include generating a listing of selected decorative materials (e.g., for use in a subsequent decorating session) and sending the listing to a purchasing system. A computer-implemented decorating system includes a server operatively coupled to a memory, a database, and to a network over which data can be exchanged with client computers. The memory includes software instructions to configure the server to retrieve modeling software from the database in response to requests from client computers and to send the modeling software over the network to the client computers. The modeling software includes instructions to configure the client computers to model structural objects, to associate decorative materials with the structural objects, and to render an image of a building space. The rendered image portrays structural objects in accordance with visual characteristic of associated decorative materials.