Patent Application
20220108044
There is need for a system for kitchen renovation that will allow for a kitchen renovation to be initiated and completed, during the process of purchasing and occupying a residence.
The summary of the invention is a guide to understanding the invention. It does not necessarily describe the most generic embodiment.
a) listing a residence for sale by a seller;
b) a visit of the residence by a buyer;
c) an offer by the buyer to purchase the residence;
d) an execution by the buyer and seller of a contract to purchase the residence;
e) an inspection of the residence by an engineer;
f) an application by the buyer for a loan from a lender;
g) an approval by the lender of said loan;
h) a close of escrow where funds are provided by the lender to the seller, and title of the residence is transferred from the seller to the buyer; and
i) occupation of the residence by the buyer if that is the buyer's intention.
The above-referenced steps for residence purchase are for illustration only. Different steps may be executed in different particular situations. For example, if the buyer is an iBuyer, then the iBuyer will normally not occupy the residence. Instead, the iBuyer may resell the residence in a short time frame. There also may not be a loan application step or loan approval step if the buyer, such as an iBuyer, already has the funds to purchase the residence. As used herein, purchasing a residence also includes purchasing shares in a coop such that a residence in the coop can be occupied by a buyer.
The steps for purchasing a residence may typically occur over a 1 to 2-month period. Uncertainty 102 in the timing of each step of the purchasing process may accumulate into a relatively large uncertainty 103 on the actual close of escrow date relative to when the initial visit occurred. This uncertainty includes the possibility that the sale may not be executed at all.
A common desire among buyers is to renovate at least a portion of the residence before occupying it. A common room to renovate is the kitchen. For illustration purposes, the system described herein will be described with respect to kitchen renovation. The same system, however, is applicable to any sort of renovation of a residence, such as a bathroom renovation.
The steps 110 for executing a kitchen renovation may include:
If the kitchen renovation process is to occur simultaneously with the residence purchase process, then there is a technical challenge of performing the renovation steps in a relatively short period of time 111 with the above-mentioned uncertainty in the closing date so that the renovation can be performed shortly (e.g. 1 to 2 days) after the buyer receives title to the residence.
The system 200 may also comprise a payment module (not shown) for receiving payment from the user and providing payment to the contractor.
The system may also comprise a human administrator 206 that will perform certain functions of the system manually.
The kitchen renovation system may also comprise:
wherein:
As used herein, a kitchen design may comprise a specification of one or more of:
The plurality of kitchen designs 202 that are presented to said user may comprise between 3 and 20 different designs. This is a small number of designs compared to the range of designs offered by a typical kitchen designer. The purpose of the small number of designs is to help the user select a desired design quickly so that the relatively tight time frame 111 (
The plurality of kitchen designs presented to a user may be a function of where the residence is located. The plurality of designs may reflect design preferences in a given region (e.g. Los Angeles, Calif.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Santa Fe, N. Mex.). Thus, the system 200 may comprise a plurality of sets of designs with each set of designs comprising 3 to 20 kitchen designs. Any number of sets of designs may be present in the system. Sets of designs may also be constructed based on demographic factors of the buyer, such as age, family status, etc. Demographic status may be input by the user to the system or may be inferred from external databases (e.g. social media postings such as lnstagram photos) or cookies previously stored on a user's input/output device (e.g. phone).
Designs may be updated and retired over time as regional tastes change. Designs may be update yearly, for example.
An advantage of limiting the time frame of construction of the residence to be between 0 and 50 years prior to the present date is that the probability of a significant modification of the floor plan of the residence (e.g. a kitchen expansion) may be small. This will facilitate determining the layout of a kitchen since original construction plans can be used. Even if there have been modifications, municipal building permit records can be queried to determine a current layout of a kitchen.
An advantage of limiting the number of residences with the same design to 20 or more is that this will limit offerings to residences that were mass produced and hence more likely to have a standard kitchen design. This will facilitate determining the layout of a kitchen and stocking standard sized design items (e.g. cabinets) for installation in the renovation. This will reduce the effort and increase the accuracy of the estimate of the kitchen renovation cost.
For large enough housing developments (e.g. 100 units or more), it may be worthwhile to precompute estimated kitchen renovation costs. User input 263, therefore, can be used primarily to validate the precomputed estimates. If the user input shows a significant discrepancy from the standard kitchen design in a given housing development, then manual input from the administrator 206 (e.g. an onsite visit) may be used to modify the cost estimate.
Residences may also be limited to those with an asking price in a given range. For example, in the United States, if a residence has an asking price in a range that qualifies the buyer for an FHA (Federal Housing Authority) mortgage, then the mortgage can be easily resold. This increases the odds for a mortgage to be approved and thus reduces the probability that the sale of the residence will not occur after the process 111 (
A kitchen design may be presented to a user by any presentation means, such as one or more of:
A rendering of a kitchen design may also include one or more accent pieces 228 (e.g. a plant) or exemplary appliances 227 (e.g. a dishwasher). The accent pieces and exemplary appliances may or may not be part of the offered kitchen design.
A mood board 229 may also be presented in conjunction with the kitchen design. The mood board may comprise portions of the elements of the kitchen design (e.g. cabinet door, floor sample, backsplash sample, etc.) as well as accent pieces (e.g. fruit, fabric swatches for curtains, utensils, etc.) to help a user visualize the mood of the kitchen design.
The system 200 may be adapted to determine an image-base layout of the current kitchen, based on quantitative analysis 265 of the image of the current kitchen uploaded by the user. This will be discussed in more detail below.
The system 200 may be adapted to query one or more external databases 233. The registration module 201, for example, may query a satellite image database 236 (e.g. Google Maps) to verify that the residence address provided by the user exists 261 and that the residence outline has not changed relative to the residence's original design.
The system 200 may query 266 an external database 233 to download one or more of:
In order to be current, the age of the images read in from an archive database may be limited to a certain maximum value, such as one year. If said recent archived images are available, then it may not be necessary to receive any images or floor plans from a user. This will substantially reduce the time and effort required of a user to get an accurate cost estimate for renovation. Alternatively, archived images even as old as 20 years may be suitable given that many people maintain their kitchen design for extended periods of time. When multiple archived images are available, then preference may be given to the most recent image. Images may also be available as one or more frames from a video recording or one or more views from a three-dimensional image of a kitchen.
The detailed description describes non-limiting exemplary embodiments. Any individual features may be combined with other features as required by different applications for at least the benefits described herein. As used herein, the term “about” means plus or minus 10% of a given value unless specifically indicated otherwise.
As used herein, a “computer-implemented system” or “system” comprises an input device for receiving data, an output device for outputting data in tangible form (e.g. printing or displaying on a computer screen), a permanent memory for storing data as well as computer code, and a microprocessor for executing computer code wherein said computer code resident in said permanent memory will physically cause said microprocessor to read-in data via said input device, process said data within said microprocessor and output said processed data via said output device.
As used herein, a “module” of a computer-based system comprises computer code that when executed on said microprocessor will cause said microprocessor to carry out a given function. For example, a “pricing module”, comprises a set of computer instructions that will cause said microprocessor to carry out the steps to determine a price.
As used herein, disclosure of a computer-based system or an element thereof is also a disclosure of a plurality of said computer-based systems and elements thereof. A computer-based system, for example, may include a cloud-based computer system which may comprise a plurality of microprocessors and/or virtual microprocessors each executing at least a portion of said computer code remotely from each other but in digital communication with each other. Similarly, an input device, such as a phone or a plurality of phones, may comprise a plurality of input devices and output devices, such as one or more cameras, microphones, touch screens, speakers, etc., each on different devices.
As used herein, the term “shaped” means that an item has the overall appearance of a given shape even if there are minor variations from the pure form of said given shape.
As used herein, the term “generally” when referring to a shape means that an ordinary observer will perceive that an object has said shape even if there are minor variations from said shape.
As used herein, relative orientation terms, such as “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “distal” and “proximal” are defined with respect to an initial presentation of an object and will continue to refer to the same portion of an object even if the object is subsequently presented with an alternative orientation, unless otherwise noted.
As used herein, “left”, “right”, “front”, and “back” are from the perspective of an object, unless indicated otherwise.
The contract may stipulate that a verified contractor will perform the renovation but will not necessarily name the specific contractor. This is similar in concept to when a user contracts through an app for a car service (e.g. Uber) with the service specifying that a verified driver will perform the driving.
The kitchen color palettes are based on neutral colors (e.g. white, grey, and/or shades of tan) such that they will likely be acceptable to most users.
The cabinets are based on common styles, such as “shaker” or “contemporary”. This allows the cabinets to be sourced from high volume cabinet manufacturers such that an existing stock will be available from local suppliers when a renovation commences. This reduces the delivery time from 4-10 weeks or more for custom cabinets to 1 or 2 days. The fast delivery helps the system meet the tight time frame for the renovation in light of uncertainly in the start date of actual physical construction.
A method for determining an image-based layout may comprise the steps:
As used herein, “real dimensions” refers to actual dimensions of an object. A standard real width of a microwave oven in the United States, for example, is about 30 inches.
As used herein, “image dimensions” refers to dimensions within an image. In
As used herein, “calibrated image dimensions” refers to a conversion of image dimensions to real dimensions. As will be discussed in more detail below, calibrated image dimensions can vary over an image depending upon the orientation of a surface of an object in said image. Regarding the face of the microwave oven 502, the image calibration for both height and width is 30/1.12 or 26.78 real inches/image inches.
As used herein, double-headed arrows in an image may collectively refer to all dimensions of an object (e.g. height, width, angles between adjacent edges, etc.) or may refer to a particular dimension (e.g. width) depending upon the context. Curved double-headed arrows that connect adjacent edges of an object may refer to the angle between said adjacent edges or collectively all angles between adjacent edges or an object, depending upon the context. Angles may be real angles or image angles depending upon the context.
As used herein, a “reference appliance” is any object in an image where the real dimensions are known a priori. For example, in the United States, a microwave oven installed over a range has a standard width of about 30 inches and a standard height of about 16 inches. The standard real angles 504 between adjacent edges is 90 degrees. Dishwashers, ranges and standard-size cabinets are also reference appliances. Wall widths (e.g. 540) may be reference appliances if the wall widths for a particular kitchen are known beforehand. Wall widths, for example, may be available from construction records or renovation records for a particular kitchen. They may also be measured beforehand.
As used herein, a “face” of an object, or a “plane” is a generally planar surface. This accepts the fact that surfaces may have small variations from a plane, such as a curvature, molding or offsets.
The step of determining an image-based layout for an elevational perspective view of a kitchen wall may comprise the steps:
In
The image width of the reference plane is 4.02 inches. The real width of the reference plane, therefore, is about 4.02*26.78 or 107.6 inches or 8.97 feet. This is close to a standard width for a set of cabinets of 9 feet.
There may be one or more oblique planes (e.g. 530) visible in an elevational perspective view of a kitchen. An oblique plane may be identified by a top real horizontal edge, bottom real horizontal edge, left real vertical edge and right real vertical edge. An oblique plane may be identifiable in an image based on image angles (e.g. 531, 532) between adjacent edges that are different than 90 degrees. They may also be identified by top and bottom image edges that diverge. It is known a priori that standard kitchen walls are orthogonal to each other. Hence the oblique plane is orthogonal to the reference plane.
If an oblique plane intersects a reference plane, it is termed herein an “extension” plane. Dimensions on a projection plane that are orthogonal to a reference plane can be determined if a reference appliance is shown in an image with a known orthogonal dimension. If a cabinet face in the extension plane is a standard size, for example, then the real width of the cabinet face can be used to determine image calibrations throughout the extension plane. The vertical and horizontal calibrations may differ from each other and may vary over the image of the extension plane.
Image calibration can be done using the methods of single-point perspective. This can be done even if a reference appliance is not visible in an extension plane if a real distance from the device that recorded the image to the reference plane is known. The distance can be downloaded from the metadata of an image taken by the device.
The step of determining an image-based layout may further comprise the steps:
The top edge and left edge of the extension plane in this example is partially cropped. The edges, however, can be extended 508, 509, so that the image length of the left edge can be measured directly from the image. In this example, the right edge 534 has an image length of 1.62 inches. The left edge 535 has an image length of 2.3 inches. The calibrated vertical image dimensions along the left edge, therefore, are 26.78*(1.62/2.3) or about 18.86 real inches/image inches. Calibrated vertical image dimensions at intermediate positions within the extension plane can be similarly determined by scaling according to the vertical image distance from the top edge of the extension plane to the bottom edge of the extension plane.
A cabinet face 536 orthogonal to the extension plane is visible in the image. This cabinet face defines a projection plane that intersects the extension plane. The projection plane is parallel to the reference plane. Image calibrations within the projection plane can be calculated using:
In this example, the opposite edges of the projection plane are parallel in the image and the adjacent edges are orthogonal in the image. Hence, similar to the reference plane, the vertical and horizontal image calibration have the same value within the projection plane. The vertical image calibration of the extension plane at the left edge of the extension plane is about 18.86 real inches/image inches. Hence the image calibration in the projection plane is also about 18.86 real inches/image inches.
The image width of the cabinet face in the projection plane 536 is about 0.66 inches. The real width of the cabinet face, therefore is determined to be 0.66*18.86 or 12.44 inches. This is close to the standard depth of upper kitchen cabinets of about 12 inches.
Knowing standard dimensions of objects in a kitchen allows calculated dimensions to be corrected or flagged for verification. If a small discrepancy is found, then calculated dimensions can be rounded off to the nearest standard dimension. This can be helpful when multiple rounds of extension and projection planes are used to determine image calibrations in various portions of an image. The multiple rounds of extension and projection plane calculations can lead to accumulated errors. Rounding off to the nearest standard dimension in intermediate steps of a calculation helps reduce the accumulation of these errors.
Multiple rounds of extension and projection planes may be helpful in determining dimensions of objects far from the calibration plane. These objects might include, for example, the dimensions 542 of a floor 541.
If there is a significant discrepancy between calculated real dimensions and standard dimensions, then that may indicate that an on-site visit is necessary to validate that the dimensions are indeed non-standard.
Identification of a reference appliance can be automated using neural network technology. A digital representation of an image is input into a neural network trained to identify reference appliances. The neural network then identifies the reference appliance.
The neural network can be trained on a training set of kitchen images taken from various perspectives wherein the reference appliances have been previously identified. The neural net can also be trained to recognize edges of objects, such as cabinet edges, using similar training sets.
When a plane of a face of a reference appliance is in oblique view, the image calibrations within the reference plane 610 can be determined. The different image lengths of the edges 603, 604, 605, 606 of the face of the reference appliance along with the adjacent edge angles 607 can be used to determine the image calibrations in the vicinity of said edges. The image calibrations throughout the reference plane can then be determined from the various edge lengths and the calibrations in the vicinities of the edges of the reference appliance. For example, using the vertical image height 606 of the reference appliance, its known real height of 16 inches, and the convergence of the upper and lower edges of the reference plane, one can calculate a real width 612 of the far-left cabinet face 611 of about 14.5 inches. This is close to a standard width for a cabinet of 15 inches.
Similar calculations can be done for horizontal planes, such as the plane 620 of the top of a range. The range is a reference appliance with standard height, width and depth.
Breaking the reference plane up onto subplanes allows the methods described above to be used to determine image calibrations in each of the subplanes even when the image edges of a reference plane are curved.
If the plane of the face of the reference appliance is significantly offset 736 from the reference plane, then the image calibrations in the reference plane can be determined using the extension and projection plane methods described above.
An advantage of a panoramic view is that multiple walls as well as multiple reference appliances can be seen in the same image. A dishwasher face 717 can be seen in the panoramic image 701. Dishwashers in the United States have standard dimensions. Hence, they are considered reference appliances. The dishwasher face can be used to determine image calibrations in a reference plan 718 associated with the dishwasher face.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to one or more different exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt to a particular situation without departing from the essential scope or teachings thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63086670 | Oct 2020 | US |
