System for designing and configuring a home improvement installation

1. A system for automatically configuring and designing a home improvement installation, the system comprising:

a product configuration server comprising a processor;

a computer-readable memory containing programming instructions that are configured to cause a user electronic device to output a user interface on a display device in which the user interface has a first sector for displaying a product configuration engine that comprises a graphic representation of a home improvement installation, wherein the home improvement installation comprises a product that has a plurality of facets and that is to be installed in a room of a home;

a data store of dimension data for product design models and for facets of the products for the home improvement installation, in which each of the facets in the inventory has associated measurements; and

additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to implement a home improvement project configuration process comprising:

receiving, from a user electronic device, a product design type for an installation;

identifying a number of facets for the product design type,

receiving, from the user electronic device, dimension values for the installation,

extracting, from the data store, a design model that corresponds to the product design type and the number of facets,

causing the first sector of the display device to output a graphic representation of the extracted design model,

causing the first sector of the display device to augment the graphic representation of the extracted design model with indicia of the received dimension values,

identifying, from the data store, a facet that is operable with the extracted design model and that has associated measurements which correspond to the dimension values, and

causing the display device to display an image of the identified facet for further selection by a user via the user electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to identify the facet that is operable with the product design model also comprise instructions to:

receive, via the user electronic device, one or more other attributes of the installation; and

when identifying the facet that is operable with the product design model, only identifying a facet that has the one or more received attributes.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to implement the home improvement project configuration process also comprise instructions to, before causing the display device to display each identified facet:

determine whether the number of facets exceeds a threshold; and

if the number of facets exceeds the threshold, then:

cause the display device to output at least one user-selectable additional prompt that solicits information relating to a characteristic of a facet,

receive one or more characteristics via the user electronic device in response to the prompt,

when identifying the facet that is operable with the product design model, only identifying a facet that has the one or more received characteristics.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to:

receive a user selection of one of the facets that are displayed on the display device;

receive a user-provided digital image of the room in which the installation will occur;

augment the user-provided digital image to insert an image of the user-selected facet in the room; and

cause the display device to display the augmented digital image.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to implement the home improvement project configuration process also comprise instructions to:

receive, via the user electronic device, an indication that a facet of the installation is not straight; and

in response to receiving the indication that a facet of the installation is not straight determine that a width associated with that facet is a null value.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to implement the home improvement project configuration process also comprise instructions to:

if no facet in the data store is operable with the extracted product design model and has associated measurements that match to the dimension values, then:

identify an alternative facet that is operable with the extracted product design model and that has associated measurements that are smaller than at least some of the dimension values,

identify a custom panel that, when attached to the identified alternative facet, will result in a composite facet having associated measurements that match the dimension values, and

when causing the display device to display the image of the identified facet, cause the display device to display the composite facet.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to implement the home improvement project configuration process also comprise instructions to:

determine a value and a delivery time estimate for the composite facet;

determine a value and a delivery time estimate for a fully-custom facet that is operable with the extracted product design model and that will have associated measurements that match the dimension values; and

cause the display device to display the determined values and delivery time estimates for each of the composite facet and the fully-custom facet.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the user electronic device to output the user interface comprise instructions to do so in response to a call from a script that is running on the user electronic device when an application of the user electronic device accesses a product distributor application that includes the script.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

an optical distance measuring device configured to measure dimensional data of one or more surfaces; and

wherein the programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to implement the home improvement project configuration process also comprise instructions to receive the dimension values from the optical distance measuring device.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the product configuration server to:

identify a device or application type for the display device;

access a data store and identify an image delivery format that corresponds to the device or application type; and

when causing the display device to display the image of the identified facet, cause the image to be displayed in the identified image delivery format.

11. A method of automatically configuring and designing a home improvement installation, the method comprising:

by a processing device:

causing a user electronic device to output a user interface on a display device of a user electronic device in which the user interface has a first sector for displaying a product configuration engine that comprises a graphic representation of a home improvement installation, wherein the home improvement installation comprises a product that has a plurality of facets and that is to be installed in a room of a home,

receiving a product design type for the home improvement installation,

identifying a number of facets for the home improvement installation,

receiving, via the user electronic device, dimension values for the home improvement installation,

accessing a data store of dimension data for product design models and for facets for the home improvement installation, in which each of the facets has associated height and width measurements,

extracting, from the data store, at least one product design model that corresponds to the installation design type and the number of facets,

causing the first sector of the display device to output a graphic representation of the extracted design model,

causing the first sector of the display device to augment the graphic representation of the extracted design model with indicia of the received dimension values,

identifying, from the data store, a facet that is operable with the extracted design model and that has associated measurements which correspond to the dimension values, and

causing the display device to display an image of the identified facet for further selection by a user via the user electronic device.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the processing device:

receiving one or more other attributes of the home improvement installation; and

when identifying the facet that is operable with the product design model, only identifying a facet that has the one or more received attributes.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the processing device before causing the display device to display each identified facet:

determining whether the number of facets exceeds a threshold; and

if the number of facets exceeds the threshold, then:

causing the display device to output at least one user-selectable additional prompt that solicits information relating to a characteristic of a facet,

receiving one or more characteristics via the user electronic device in response to the prompt,

when identifying the facet that is operable with the product design model, only identifying a facet that has the one or more received characteristics.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the processing device:

receiving a user selection of one of the facets that are displayed on the display device;

receiving a user-provided digital image of the room in which the installation will occur;

augmenting the user-provided digital image to insert an image of the user-selected facet in the room; and

causing the display device to display the augmented digital image.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the processing device:

receiving, via the user electronic device, an indication that a facet of the installation is not straight; and

in response to receiving the indication that a facet of the installation is not straight, determining that a width associated with that facet is a null value.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the processing device:

determining that no facet in the data store is operable with the extracted design model and has associated measurements that match to the dimension values;

identifying an alternative facet that is operable with the extracted product design model and that has associated measurements that are smaller than at least some of the dimension values;

identifying a custom panel that, when attached to the identified alternative facet, will result in a composite facet having associated measurements that match the dimension values, and

when causing the display device to display the image of each identified facet, causing the display device to display the composite facet.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising, by the processing device:

determining a value and a delivery time estimate for the composite facet;

determining a value and a delivery time estimate for a fully-custom facet that is operable with the extracted product design model and that will have associated measurements that match the dimension values; and

causing the display device to display the determined values and delivery time estimates for each of the composite facet and the fully-custom facet.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of causing the user electronic device to output the user interface comprises doing so in response to a call from a script that is running on the user electronic device when an application of the user electronic device accesses a product distributor application that includes the script.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

by an optical distance measuring device configured to measure dimensional data of one or more surfaces, capturing the dimension values; and

by the processing device, receiving the dimension values from the optical distance measuring device.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the processing device:

identifying a device or application type for the display device;

accessing a data store and identifying an image delivery format that corresponds to the device or application type; and

when causing the display device to display the image of the identified facet, causing the image to be displayed in the identified image delivery format.